


The Ashes In Life ( hiatus )

by SleipnirSenSen



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Betrayal, Character Death, Distrust, Fluff and Angst, Good versus Evil, M/M, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Not Everyone Is What They Seem, Other, POV Multiple, Past Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Lee Taeyong, Rated For Violence, Violence, dont be fooled by certain characters, each character introduced over time!, in a way at least, more characters added soon, more ships to be added later as well, so prepare tissues, there will be, will mostly be platonic aside from yutae and another ship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2020-11-02 06:09:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 24,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20648093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SleipnirSenSen/pseuds/SleipnirSenSen
Summary: Yuta Nakamoto, a self-centered phoenix, is banished from his sky-borne home, stripped of his abilities and immortality. Forced to live as a human, he must learn the values of life ( to which he cannot comprehend ), and learn to appreciate what the world gives him. Can Lee Taeyong, a mere human, help show the value of life to the phoenix? Or will a darker force pull Yuta further away from his goal?





	1. Wake Up Call

**Author's Note:**

> Story will be through multiple characters POV's! This is written in a book format on google docs originally, so the first few chapters are gonna be short, but will gradually become longer and longer with each chapter~

Prologue: History Lesson

There once lived a golden phoenix, who was the pride and joy of the other phoenix’s in his hidden home above the clouds. A revered being, whose golden feathers shone brightly in the sunlight, who gave hope and love to the others who cherished him. However, the Golden Phoenix would soon become corrupted, his love and hope replaced with egotistical views of weak and strong. 

The Golden Phoenix became cocky, self centered, and self concerned, so much that he viewed everyone else as pawns to his game. The rest of the phoenix’s no longer revered him, and the oldest phoenix battled the Golden One to death. His golden feathers stained crimson from the battle, he spread his wings, baring his newly formed teeth. His talons became sharper, and his appearance became more demonic looking. 

Faced with the painful reality that their graceful Golden One was no longer what he used to be, the Elder Phoenix, with her dying strength, banished the Golden One to a place where he could hurt no other creature with his arcane powers. The Golden One was no more to the hidden city in the clouds, and the Elder Phoenix withered into Ashes, her task completed. 

Things would become normal again, or so they thought it would. While oblivious to the world below, the Golden One still remains problematic, and now spiteful, towards every creature with arcane abilities. The Golden One, now forced into a human life style, vows his return to the hidden city in the clouds, and swears to wreak havoc on not only the hidden city, but to the world they forced him to live in. 

Guised as a human for as long as the future holds for him, the Golden One seeks the aid of the worst possible people. With them on his side, his dreams of returning to his home to unleash his vengeance,  _ will come true someday soon. _

_ 1\. Wake Up Call _

“Yuta, Yuta!” A child’s voice cries. The pitter-patter of the child’s running caused an older male to look over his shoulder, raising a brow. 

“What do you want, runt?” He grumbled, looking away from the smaller child. 

“Can you help me find my sister?” The younger boy begs, tugging at Yuta’s sleeve. “She ran off again!” 

“And how is that my problem?” The older male huffs.

The child flailed, bits of feathers flying out of his clothes. “You really are a big old meanie!”

“OLD?!” Yuta quickly turns around. “I’m not old! I’m barely in my mid 20’s you little--”

“Watch your tone there, Yuta.” And older voice chimes. 

Yuta rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “Oh great..” he mumbled. “Just what I needed.”

The older man spoke with the boy for a moment, sending the youngster off towards a crowd of other people in the center of the city. The old man makes his way towards Yuta, who was doing his best to ignore him.

“Staring down at the clouds won’t be doing you any favors, Nakamoto.” called the older male. 

“Ugh, grandpa, please, just call me by my name.” Yuta growls.

“You better watch that attitude of yours Yuta. You weren’t like this before. You used to be kind toward others.” 

“That was when I was like… a hatchling. I know better now.” Yuta attempts to step away from his grandfather, but the older male blocked his path with his cane. 

“You let your father’s teachings corrupt you. He tried very hard to fashion you into the next Golden One, but your mother tried her best to prevent that. It seems some of his influence still rubbed off on you.” 

“Oh please, the Golden One is just an old tale told to little phoenix’s like us so we can be scared into behaving.” Yuta gives the older male a scowl. 

“Yuta please. You really need to realize that you’re not above anyone else here… it worries me.”

“So what? I am better than most here. I’m the fastest at flying, the best at free falling, the most elegant looking... if anything you should be worried about me becoming the Crimson One. Golden One is out of date.” He grins.

The old phoenix frowns at his joke. 

“The sun is setting soon, don’t stay out too late.” the older sighs, heading back home.

Yuta shrugs his shoulders, looking out over the field of thick clouds, which shrouded the view of the cities below the sky. The young phoenix enjoyed spending his alone time viewing the scenery, taking in every last ray of sunlight the sun had to offer before it would set. He looked over to see a few of the younger hatchlings, peeking over the guard rails to view the clouds below them. Yuta overheard their conversation about being curious to see the world below the clouds, which made him scoff. Why would they want to go to such a filthy place? Their mountain city was good enough.

“Momma said my older brother went down there once! He said it was pretty fun, and there was new stuff to see!” one said excitedly. 

“My parents told me I shouldn’t ever leave… they said it’s dangerous down there.” The young girl looked over the edge a bit, not realizing the guard rail was becoming weak with so many leaning against it. As more kids put their weight against the old guard rail, it had finally gave out, sending most of the kids to fall on their faces. Yuta looked over, rolling his eyes at them, though paused when he heard crying further down below. Looking over, he saw that the first boy who spoke was hanging off the cliff. 

“Y-Yuta! Help me!” He cried, but the older phoenix huffed in response to his pleas.

“You got yourself into this mess, you should be able to get yourself out of it. Such is the way of this strong vs the weak world we live in. If you can’t cut it out for this life, then why bother? You’re a phoenix, you’ll come back again, so why are you so frightened?”

“You’re so mean, Yuta!” One of the kids cried.

Yuta rolled his eyes and continued looking out into the horizon, ignoring the cries from the younger phoenix chicks.

Thankfully the elder managed to hear their screaming, quickly turning around to make his way towards the child in crisis. As fire surrounded the old man, and a beautiful orange and yellow feathered phoenix emerged in his place, flying downwards to scoop the younger phoenix with his talons to bring him back to safety. 

“I told you lot to stay away from the cliff sides!” He scolded them. “You could have gotten seriously hurt! It doesn’t matter that you can just come back to life afterwards! Your current lives shouldn’t be wasted so soon.” 

The children nodded, bowing in apology. "We're sorry!"

The older Phoenix lets out a slight sigh. “It's okay... you learned your lesson at least. Go home now, your parents are waiting for you.” 

The children quickly excused themselves, heading back to their homes. The Elder looked down towards his grandson, narrowing his eyes at him. 

“Yuta how dare you? They are just children! And you do not bother to life a feather to help them!?” He shouted.

“Why should I? Father has told me many times before his permanent death that only the strong are worthy to live in this world.” He replies.

“Your father followed the path of the Golden One! This is the exact mindset that caused the Golden One to be banished! The same mindset that caused your father to be banished and die in the hands of the humans down there!” The elder phoenix bellowed, infuriated with his grandson’s arrogant responses.

“My father was weak. He didn’t deserve to live in this world. He told me to show no sympathy for no one.” Yuta scoffed.

“I knew letting him have you under his care would be bad… he’s completely erased what your mother taught you as a child!”

“Mother was weak. Love, kindness, and affection does not get you anywhere.” 

“You dare speak ill of her!?” The elder had enough of his grandsons ways. “I didn’t want it to come to this Yuta, but there is no other choice for you. You are going down the wrong path. We will not have another Golden One situation in Malfare again!” 

Yuta looked over at his grandfather, confused by what he meant. He was even more confused when a swirl of fire began to surround him. It felt like the fire was burning away at his energy, removing the arcane elements in his body.

“What are you doing old man?!” Yuta shouted.

“Yuta Nakamoto! You are hereby BANISHED from Malfare for your corrupted mindset! Your immortality will be stripped, your ability to transform will be removed, and your fire stripped of you until you straighten your attitude out!” His grandfather shouted, causing the other Phoenix’s to look in their direction. 

Yuta felt helpless for once. He was getting a taste of his own medicine. No one bothered to stop this from occurring. No one bothered to stop this from happening! He felt betrayed by his people. He was the grandson of the elder! They should be against this! He was entitled to their admiration! But what he didn’t realize was that type of mindset was wrong in their eyes. He couldn’t grasp why he was being looked at so negatively. He felt he didn’t deserve this type of punishment, however, he rightfully deserved it.

The last thing Nakamoto Yuta could remember was the fire engulfing him, and blacking out.

* * *

Taeyong woke to loud ringing from his alarm clock, making slap his arm around the end table, trying to turn the noisy machine off. He groaned as he got up from his bed, rubbing his face to rid the sleep of his eyes. He quickly got up from the bed to change, and get ready for his Monday Morning routine.

After washing up, he grabbed his backpack, and his house keys. He headed for the old creaky door, opening it to head outside. Taeyong took in a breath of fresh air, walking down the old, shady looking alleyway. It was a typical Monday for him so far. He would always take a walk around the city streets, taking in the sites as his way to start off the school week. 

“Man, it’s cloudy today.” He comments, looking through the tall buildings to look at the overcast of clouds. 

Due to his lack of looking where he was stepping, he accidentally walked into someone. Taeyong stepped back immediately, looking at the confused, distraught man in front of him. 

“I’m sorry! I wasn’t looking where I was going sir--”

“It’s fine! Someone’s trying to hurt me, please help me… I don’t know where to go, I don’t know where I am!” He begged.

“U-uh okay um…” So much for his typical Monday routine. “W-why are they chasing you?”

“I don’t know! I don’t even know how I got here! Stupid human, are you going to help me or not!?”

“Well that’s just rude.” Taeyong huffed, pushing aside to walk past him.

“W-wait I’m sorry for yelling at you-- please just help me before they find me again!”

“Uh… are they wearing suits and looking really scary and intimidating?” Taeyong asked, noticing a man who was walking towards them. 

“Yes, we need to go before they find me again, they’re trying to hurt me!” 

Well now, Taeyong couldn’t leave this poor man to fend for himself if these people were after him, that would be against his whole life teachings.

“Okay follow me!” Taeyong grabbed the others arm and pulled him aside, aiming to find the nearest crowd to blend into. Luckily for him, the local BarStucks was having a gift card raffle, so that already attracted a bunch of people. Taeyong quickly veered them to the crowd.

“Act excited for a gift card.” Taeyong comments to him. 

The other male looked at him puzzled, but did as instructed. Taeyong eyed the person following them, struggling to get through the crowd. Seeing his plan was working, Tae slowly eased his way through the crowd with his new ‘friend’ of sorts, managing to slip by unnoticed and head into an alleyway. 

“Okay… we lost him.” Taeyong sighed. 

“Great. Great work worm.” 

“You know you’re very RUDE.” Taeyong huffed. “I gotta go to school now. You do what you gotta do now.” 

The stranger starts to panic. "W-Wait, you can’t just leave me stranded here, fool!” the stranger called for him. “You’re just going to leave me?!”

“Alright alright, enough with the name calling, tough guy. I helped you out this once, but I want no part of why you’re getting chased around.” Taeyong huffed. “You’re going to make me late for class.”

“Okay look I’m sorry for my attitude!” The other male stated loudly, looking as if he was about to lose his composure and shed tears any minute. Taeyong couldn’t help but feel bad all of a sudden, and he hated his soft side for that. One of these day's it's going to get him into trouble. Heck, it probably already is getting him into trouble.

“...Alright, don’t let the waterworks out just yet.”

“I’m not going to cry! It’s just… I don’t know where I am, I just...woke up here? I’m confused, I can’t do what I usually can. I got kicked out of my home, and unless my attitude changes I can’t go back! And not to mention those people have been after me the moment I left one of these narrow paths here…” He explained.

Taeyong sighed. “Okay… Listen, first off relax. Let's introduce each other at least? What’s your name?”

“Y-Yuta. Nakamoto Yuta.” 

“Okay, names Lee Taeyong. I would say it's a pleasure, but you’re kind of a dick.” Taeyong grinned. 

“Very funny.” Yuta scowled.

“Listen Yuta. You can go to my house from here. This is probably a stupid idea on my end but my better half is telling me to not just leave you alone here.” Taeyong hands him his spare house keys. “Walk straight here until you see the green apartment building. My room number is 127. Make yourself at home and sit still until I come back alright?”

“Understood…” Yuta mumbled, finding it distasteful that this human was giving him commands.

“Alright. You head on then. I have to be elsewhere, you should be okay but I suggest you just power walk your way over to my place. I will see you later.”

Yuta watches Taeyong leave, biting his lip. After a moment of hesitation, he finally walks to Taeyong’s house.

A man in a dark suit watches as the two part ways. His eyes narrow, and slowly puts his gun back into its holster. His eyes were fixated on the phoenix, watching his every move until he would eventually disappear into a building. He brings up his radio, a grin forming on his face. 

"It seem's we have a bit of a delay with this target boys, let's call it off for now..." 

The figure turns around, heading into the direction of the crowd.


	2. APT 127? Not What he Expected

The walk to Taeyong’s small apartment was nerve wracking for the Phoenix. Surrounded by unfamiliar scenery, he could not help but have his guard up. It certainly didn’t help that this place looked very shady, and wasn’t immortal anymore. Why would this human live in such a dangerous looking location? Buildings had windows boarded up, some doors bolted shut, and threatening looking people who would give Yuta glare. 

“This is ridiculous…” He mumbled to himself, trying to hide his obvious fear. 

Quite honestly the neighborhood wasn’t that bad, but Yuta was not used to such surroundings. Sticking out like a sore thumb, he couldn’t help but feel like someone could possibly target him. What could he do? He didn’t have his fire to burn them to ashes, he didn’t have his wings to fly away from danger, nor did he have any form of defense to protect himself. 

Finally the Phoenix arrives to complex Taeyong lived in. Looking at the keys for the room number, Yuta sets out to look for it. It didn’t take him long to find apartment 20, and once he entered, he couldn’t help but be taken aback by the appearance of it. Although it was clean and neat, the apartments condition overall was...horrible.Walls had peeling paint, the ceiling had old water stains from an obvious leak, and not to mention the little pests that scurried away the moment he flipped the lights on. 

“W-why would he choose to live in such a terrible place?!” Yuta stated loudly to himself. 

He was honestly at a loss for words. He didn’t understand why he chose this location to settle. He assumed all humans lived in luxurious spaces, so this really had him shocked. Sure, maybe some humans lived in less expensive spaces, but he did not imagine this at all. Honestly, the phoenix could feel a tug of guilt pulling at his heart. 

But why was he feeling like this? Why did he even care? 

Yuta didn’t understand why, but he felt sad about this random humans living situation. Was there a possible way he could help? Maybe he could rid this apartment of the unpleasant pests that crawled all over the place? He didn’t know why, but Yuta just felt a sudden urge to help in some way or another. He was disgusted by the fact he felt this way, but at the same time, would he enjoy having to live here permanently? Not even the human he met would like staying here this long. 

Yuta suddenly has a realization that life isn’t so easy for everyone. It wasn’t like he thought at all. However, he still didn’t comprehend why it was this way. Actually this realization slightly boosted his ego somewhat. He was above humans, so of course life was better to him. This would just be charity that he would give to Taeyong.

“Hah! This human is in need of my help so I guess I’ll give him that assistance he needs. Maybe I can see if another human will exchange the gold coins I have for human money.” He nods to himself, looking quite accomplished with what he stated.

With that, Yuta finally takes a seat on Taeyong’s couch. He curiously looked through everything he had on the coffee table, pondering over a couple of things he had lying there: A strange silver colored object that opens up like a book, but had many clicking squares you could push. A strange looking stick with rubbery things to press, to which he surprisingly finds that one particular one turns a strange picture box on.

Human objects were strange, but he’d have to learn how to use them eventually. 

An hour has passed since he arrived to Taeyong’s, and already Yuta was feeling anxious. He had never been alone for this long before. There was always someone familiar around him, even though he didn’t care about others too much, he was always aware that he was never truly alone… until now. Yuta honestly didn’t know what to do with his sudden alone time, and he hated it. He hated the feeling of loneliness, and most definitely hated the feeling of sadness.

These feelings were new to the phoenix. He never had to deal with this before, so suddenly feeling sadness and loneliness, he could not comprehend it at all. In fact, the sadness of being alone was actually making him… cry? He’s never cried before! He never had a reason to do such a weak action. 

His self reflection was interrupted when he heard the door open, the loud creek that emitted from that old door made it hard to ignore. The phoenix looked over to see Taeyong walking in, setting his bag aside and taking his shoes off. He quickly wiped his tears, though to his dismay, Taeyong seemed to notice he was crying.

“Hey… are you okay?” Taeyong questioned, looking pretty concerned. 

“Yes, I’m fine.” Yuta replied. His tone was rude as usual, but this was merely an attempt to cover up the fact that he was crying.

It didn’t work, however, Taeyong caught onto this fairly quick, and was not about to be fooled by Yuta's terrible attempt to cover his shaky voice up. “Are you sure? I can try to help in any way I can…” Taeyong looked away slightly. “Unless you’re crying about being in this house and not in something more luxurious or something.”

“Yes! That’s exactly the reason!” Yuta states, ignoring the obvious annoyed look on Taeyongs face. 

“That was it? Seriously? Sheesh, you’re very entitled.” The college student mumbled, which made Yuta scoff, though he was relieved that his response was effective enough to not give his real reason of crying away.

“Was that an insult?” Yuta crosses his arm, narrowing his pussy eyes.

“You try and figure that out.” Taeyong ran his fingers through his hair, giving out a sigh. _‘Don’t stress out Yong, just pull through it.’_ he thought to himself.

Yuta meanwhile, was thinking to himself if Taeyong really did just insult him or not. Did he? It sure sounded like an insult. How dare this pathetic human insult someone as majestic as Yuta?! His pouting was obvious, and the sniffling from his crying earlier one wasn't helping at all.

“You’re such a big baby. Here.” Taeyong reached into his pocket to pull out some tissues.

Yuta gave them a puzzled look. “Why do these tissues have a picture of a yellow rat.” 

“He’s not a rat! How do you not know Pikachu?!” Taeyong shook his head. “Just blow your nose already. I’ll go cook something for us.”

“In that disgusting looking kitchen? I saw..._insects_… crawling all over this place! How do you live like this?! _WHY_ do you live like this?!” Yuta questioned, looking rather distressed about the whole ordeal.

Taeyong was taken back by the others sudden lecture. “Whoa, tone it down there. Not everyone can afford a nice place to live! Sure there’s big roaches and your occasional spiders, but I try to keep the place neat and clean as much as I can!” Taeyong sounded mildly insulted. His house? Dirty? Appalling. The roach problem was the apartment complex’s fault, not his! 

Yuta merely scoffed, looking around the apartment .“Still, to settle for something this run down…” Yuta mumbled, sounding pretty sad about it. “I mean… you’re low ranking, but you at least deserve something _BETTER_ than this…” Yuta grumbled.

_ 'L-Low ranking?! _' Taeyong couldn’t help but squint. He was getting real tired of this guy's rude comments, but at least the stranger showed some concern over his well being. 

“Look you helped me out of a potential bad situation, and unfortunately because of ill-intention people following me, I may have to stick around with you. Let me at least pay you back for that?” Yuta offered.

“No no, it’s fine Yuta. I couldn’t just leave you there, I’m not heartless… even if you were an asshole.” 

“ASSHOLE!?!” Yuta repeated, offended. “How dare you! You’re a lowly human--”

“Human? Are you playing pretend or something? Aren’t you a little old to be imagining yourself as a god or something?”

Right, of course this human didn’t know that he was insulting a PHOENIX of all things. Yuta bit his lip nervously, hesitant to tell Taeyong what he was. Lying for now would be best, at least for his own well being, and maybe for Taeyong's as well. “Er… S-slip of the tongue.” Yuta huffs, trying to shake his awkwardness off. “Fine, I was an asshole, but let me pay you back. I have some gold coins that might help you get an upgrade.” 

“You don’t have to do tha--” Yuta quickly cuts Taeyong off.

“_I AM_ and _I WILL_. You will accept this and like it, because I am not one to take no for an answer.” Yuta stomped his foot to add to his dramatic tone.

Taeyong groans. “Fine, okay.” He sighed afterwards. Was he really letting this guy just walk all over him?

“So any ideas of where you may want to upgrade?” Yuta questioned.

“Well… It is a bit of a long walk from here and the school. Maybe they have openings at the student housing I can take?”

“Perfect. We can see what we can do about that right now!” Yuta grins and heads for the door, but Taeyong pulls him back.

“They’re closed right now Yuta, so it’d have to be tomorrow.”

“What an annoyance.” Yuta sighed. He then glared at Taeyong and inched his arm away from his. “Next time refrain from touching me.”

“Stop acting like a teenager with a stick up their ass. Since you don’t want me cooking in there I will just order take-out. Anything you want?” Taeyong grabs his phone to look up places to eat.

“Take...out..?” The phoenix looked confused. “What is that?”

“Right… you probably don’t need to order this huh? Okay, you basically call someone and they bring food to you. We got McBondalds, Fast Panda, a local noodle shop…”

“F-fast panda? Wha--”

“Fast Panda it is, now stay quiet while I’m on the phone.” 

Yuta stares as Taeyong leaves to his room. Did the human just silence him? Well, Yuta will give him props for doing that much. For once, he obliged to this command, and takes a seat on the couch. It didn’t take Taeyong long to make an order. Once he finished doing so, he sat down on the couch with Yuta, making sure to give him some space. He reached for the remote to turn on the television for anything of interest, which made Yuta gasp. 

“What? Why did you gasp?”

“O-oh nothing nothing…” The phoenix had to learn to control his emotions. He already possibly acts strange enough to this human, it will just add to it if Taeyong knew Yuta didn’t know what a television was. 

The two watched something on the news to pass the time. Taeyong looking pretty bored with it; however, the Phoenix seemed to be intrigued by the moving pictures. They always just used magic and fire messages to pass news along, so honestly, he was quite fascinated with how humans got their news. His attention turned to the door when someone began to bang on it, which caused Taeyong to get up and look through the peephole to see who it was. 

“The food arrived. Yuta, mind clearing the coffee table?” Taeyong asked, while opening the door.

Yuta wanted to scoff, but he held it back. He had to be friendly to people now, he can’t just be scoffing and shrugging them off all the time. “Okay.” He simply responded.

Once the food was paid for, and the table cleared of any possible clutter, Taeyong set the two plates of food down. The two ate together in silence mostly, both keeping their eye on the news. It wasn’t until the news had begun to report on something really grim, that Taeyong finally spoke.

“Another disappearance, huh? They’re happening a lot more frequently by the week..” He mumbled. 

Yuta looked over at him with concern, then back to the TV that spoke about a young man who had suddenly went missing. Yuta couldn’t really explain why, but he felt sick to his stomach hearing about these disappearances. Something about them told him they weren’t just your typical disappearances. Suddenly he remembers why the elder phoenix told the others to stay clear of large, human run cities. The threat that black market hunters were almost always around gave Yuta the chills.

“What if he’s a victim of them…” Yuta mutters to himself. 

Taeyong seemed to catch this though. “Victim of what..?” He questioned.

“O-oh… I don’t know how to explain it.” Yuta looks away, biting his lip somewhat. “I think… maybe the people after me, could have gotten him too?” 

“That could be a possibility…” Taeyong responded, “but they don’t have any leads. Whoever is doing this covers their tracks really good, enough for Neo Cities police to be this baffled.” 

Yuta couldn’t help but look even more concerned now. Did these potential hunters really know he was here? He had to keep a low profile during his stay here, he wasn’t immortal anymore, and they could kill him with no trouble at all. Taeyong changed the channel to an animal documentary instead of the news, probably because he sensed Yuta’s fear. Honestly the gesture made Yuta smile for a split second. With his mind off the negative news, he proceeded to eat his food that Taeyong had gotten for him. After an hour into the documentary, it seemed Taeyong had fallen asleep. Yuta could hear him snoring after a few minutes, and it was pretty loud.

“He sounds like a hog.” He simply comments.

The phoenix sat awkwardly on the couch. He didn’t know whether to go somewhere else to sleep, or just stay on the couch. What a frustrating choice. He gave out a sigh, settling for the latter, and making himself as comfortable as he could. He continued to watch the documentary in silence, but something about it had suddenly made him feel homesick. The TV showed an eagle soaring above the skies, the camera facing above it, showing the aerial view the eagle had. “What I wouldn’t give get my wings back and fly again…” Yuta sighed. “I hope I can soar over the lands again soon. I hate walking around and being down here.” He grumbled.

There was no use in moping around however. He would have to work for it. Maybe if he did work to fix his attitude as quickly as he could, he can leave and go back home. Holding onto that thought, Yuta gives out a sleepy sigh, and finally dozes off on the couch.


	3. Enter the Hunters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> POV's will smoothly switch from one character to another, just a heads up!  
Warning: this chapter has slight gun violence.

Night befalls the city, the city lights being the only light source around the lonely alleyways. Although there was light, there was always_ darkness_ creeping behind it, shrouding the dangers that could be lurking within its shadows. A very unwise student takes a shortcut back to the college through one of these alleys, smiling to himself, thinking he avoided an unnecessary long walk. However, a low growl emitted from the darkness as this unfortunate soul decided to take this lonely, dark shortcut. The young male freezes upon hearing such a menacing growl, looking back and forth for any sign of whatever made such a noise. The young male made a run for it after hearing another growl, aiming to return to the school grounds. The school grounds were his only safe haven, as he was _not actually human_. The pit pat of paw pads chasing after him echoed through the dark alleyway, sounding closer with each step the young man took. The school was not far! If he could just up his pace a little more, he would be safe! For you see, the school housed many humans, but also many mythics, just like Yuta for example. 

As he neared the school gates, a sense of relief began to wash over him, though it would be short lived. Just inches away from his ensured safety, a loud snarl was heard behind him, as a large, black dog lunged out and bit onto his leg. The poor soul screamed in agony, turning to face the large canine who had bit down onto his leg. The large black dog yanked the young mythic back, dragging him into the alleyway once again. He felt no other option, he had to fight back! He too snarled back at the larger canine, flashing his abnormally sharp teeth, as he slowly changed form from human, to a wolfman. The cornered lycan snarls as he tries to fight the larger canine off of him, but it was futile. Although the fight was still very one-sided, the lycan did his best to ensure his chance at escape, hoping that he would be lucky. 

Unfortunately he wouldn't. 

The black dog growls angrily, his ears turning back slightly as he heard footsteps approaching. As soon as he heard these footsteps, he quickly lets go of the injured lycan, and steps backwards, keeping his eyes locked onto his prey. Finally, a figure approaches the scene, a human, who wore dark clothing to blend into the shadows of the alleyway. The poor lycan's ears pinned back in fear as he realized just who this human was. He cowered in fear, and froze the moment this figure pulled a gun out, pointing it to the lycans head. The lycan whimpers slightly, trying to make a last ditch effort of escape, but he was quickly cut off by the black dog. The human gives off an amused laugh.

“Now now, what’s the point of trying to run away when we both have you cornered..?” The black haired male grinned, cocking the gun in his hand. “You and I both know you’re not getting out of this. Stop struggling and I’ll make this as painless as possible for you." The human states, his weapon trained on the lycan.

The lycan growled at him, though his eyes showed utter defeat and hopelessness. Still, he would not be taken out without a few words to spare. “You may be getting away with this for now, _ Kim Doyoung, _ but one day, you and your group will go down. Someone will stop you from harming us.” he growls.

Doyoung simply scoffed. “What poor use of your last breath, for such silly last words. Your empty threats mean nothing to me, fool." Doyoung points the gun at the unlucky lycan, his smile showing no sign of fading. "Off we go~"

The sudden bang is echoed through the quiet alleyway, followed by eerie silence soon after. 

The gunshot was loud enough to stir the phoenix awake, who suddenly jumped out of his spot on the couch in a panic. That was a gun he just heard, and he was terrified. Were one of the people that chased him early this morning still out there? Just what did these people want with him? Yuta's breathing is paced and heavy from shock and fear, this whole commotion managing to wake up Taeyong. Concerned with his sudden new roommate's behavior, he quickly gets onto his feet and tries to get the other to relax.

“Yuta? What’s wrong..?” Taeyong asked tiredly, though there was worry in his tone.

Yuta looked over at him, a sense of panic written all over his face. Taeyong couldn't help but frown at such an expression. “C-can we get away from the view of the windows? Please?” He asked shakily. 

Taeyong looked confused, but nodded to his request. The fear in the others voice was too much for the young college student to ignore. “What has you so spooked though..?” Taeyong asked, sitting up on the couch. 

“I heard a gunshot… I just want to be away from view.” Yuta mumbled in response, looking down at his shaking hands. 

“A gunshot?” Taeyong quickly moved towards the windows so he could pull the curtains down, though Yuta quickly grabbed the others arm and pulled him back. “No...if you accidentally see something they might hurt us, it’s better to turn these lights off and just stay somewhere away from view.. Please.” The Phoenix begged. 

Taeyong sighs, but nodded in agreement. He did make a point. “Alright. Let’s go to my room then. The window there is usually covered with curtains to block out the sun.” he assures, which made Yuta nod. He moved towards the light switch to turn the lights off, along with shutting the TV off, and lead the frightened Phoenix to his room. Taeyong locks the door as a precaution, and just for extra safety, wanting to make the phoenix feel as safe as possible. Luckily for him, he had extra sheets to make an extra bed of sorts. 

“You can take my bed for now, Yuta. I’ll sleep on the floor.” the dark haired male offers, which further confuses the phoenix.

“Why would you sleep on the floor..? This is your bed, not mine.” He scoffs somewhat, but his expression betrayed his high-horse attitude. He was honestly relieved that he was in a safer section of the house, and that this human was kind enough to offer the bed. 

“It’s more polite to offer the bed to the guest. I sleep in it all the time, one night on the floor won't hurt me, don’t worry.” He smiles, which makes Yuta scoff again.

“I’m not worried, I’m just confused that you would let someone you met just this morning sleep on your bed.” the phoenix grumbled.

Taeyong laughed in response. “Well, that’s just how I am. Besides, I’m doing a good job at getting your mind off the scary stuff by confusing you. Am I doing it on purpose? Hmmm~” 

The phoenix squinted his eyes at the other male, but he did have a point. Yuta did seem to be more at ease, just enough to actually sleep. Seeing Taeyong already getting comfortable with his makeshift bed, Yuta decided to get comfortable as well. He snuggled up against the blankets, and with the secure feeling over the room, Yuta easily fell back into a light sleep, his sense of caution preventing him from falling into a deep sleep. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The chime of a loud alarm begins to ring through the whole room, which caused Yuta to jump out of bed in surprise. The phoenix looked around, panicked at such a screeching, obnoxious loud noise that fills the whole room, eyes darted towards Taeyong. Taeyong groaned, slowly sitting up, and reached for his phone to silence the terrible noise. He earned a scowling look from Yuta, though Tae shrugs him off, as a yawn escaped him. He's to tired to deal with this grouchy man so early in the morning.

"Mgh... morning already? I wanted to sleep more...” Taeyong muttered with a hoarse voice. 

Yuta huffed, and gave Taeyong a pout. “So did I, but you SCARED me awake with that horrible thing!” Yuta responded, laying back down with an annoyed expression. 

Taeyong stretched his arms out, not bothered by Yuta's loud reply. “Are you going to be alright by yourself all day..?” he asked, as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I have class to go too soon, which means you're gonna be here alone..."

The phoenix frowned at the question. Of course his pride was made him hesitate to answer truthfully. Yuta? Admit he's afraid to be alone in this house? Never! He bit his lip, trying to come up with something convincing, but it seemed Taeyong has read him like an open book. Taeyong saw just how fearful Yuta was at the mention of staying alone, especially after the disturbing gunshot noise they heard last night. Taeyong sighed, coming up with one conclusion.

“You’re afraid, aren’t you?” Taeyong questioned, which made Yuta look away in shame. “It’s nothing to be shameful about, Yuta, your fear of staying here alone is pretty valid. Maybe you can come with me? You can just hang out in Kun’s cafe, while I’m in my biology, math, and chemistry classes.” Taeyong offered.

Yuta showed relief at the offer, quickly sitting up and throwing the sheets off him. “I-If it’s not too much trouble…” he replied.

“Of course not. You should get up and get ready, I’ll lend you some of my clothes, hopefully they fit.” He smiled back at the phoenix, who looks away in a pout, his cheeks somewhat rosy from how much this human kept smiling at him. Yuta definitely didn't like how he was reacting to such expressions.

“Yes yes, I’ll rise from this bed in a moment.” Yuta scoffed, waving Taeyong away with his hand.

Taeyong playfully rolls his eyes, walking to his closet to look for some clothes Yuta could try on. He pulled some that he'd stopped wearing awhile ago, and set them down for the phoenix to chose from. Taeyong hoped the clothes fit his picky friend's taste, and grabed a set of clothes for himself to change into; leaving Yuta to his business shortly after. The phoenix watched the other leave the room, and finally got onto his feet, heading over to the edge of the bed, where the other had just placed the clothing. He eyed it carefully, and sighed in annoyance.. 

“These better fit…” He grumbled as he tried them on.

Fortunately for Yuta, they fit, but barely. It would have to do for the time being. Yuta could acquire new clothes in a date. Walking out of Taeyong’s room, he moved over to sit on the living room couch, grabbing the TV remote to fiddle around with. Suddenly, the television turned on to two angry tigers, roaring and swatting at each other. It caused Yuta jump from his seat from how loud it was, while Taeyong couldn't help but laugh. 

“Sorry! I guess the TV went into rest mode, and I forgot to lower the volume.” The brunette chuckled, which made the phoenix pout again.

“I could have DIED because of you!” Yuta shouted.

Taeyong rolled his eyes again. “You’re fine, you’re still kicking aren’t you? Or am I speaking to a ghost?” Taeyong looked around. “Yuta? Yuta?! Oh no where did his spirit go?! He was dead all along! YUTA!? HELLO?”

“Alright enough!” Yuta replied, annoyed with the teasing. “I’m still alive, stop searching for me like I’m one of those lost spirits who can’t figure out where hell or heaven, or whatever it is they go to, is at.”

“You say that as if that’s actually something you’ve seen before.” Taeyong replied, looking towards Yuta curiously.

“I- Well, the supernatural world could be real! What? Are you a non-believer?” Yuta questioned, head tilting as he waits for an answer.

“I mean, not really.” Taeyong shrugged his shoulders. “Aren’t those just myths or something? I don’t actually think ghosts or any of that type of stuff exists. I need see it to believe it.”

‘_ Oh it exists alright, you silly human.’ _ Yuta responds mentally. “How could you be so sure? You don’t believe in any kind of myth? Not even dragons? Phoenix’s? Magic?” Yuta asked with curiosity.

“No, not at all.” The other would simply reply, heading to the kitchen to cook breakfast.

Yuta watched as the other walked out of the room, sighing to himself. “Great…” He mumbled, “So if he finds out I'm not human, he’s not going to be taking it very well… Is he really going to be someone I can trust?” A frown appeared on his face, hoping that wouldn’t be the case. Taeyong, so far, is the only one he could trust at this moment; even if he did just meet him yesterday morning. Jumping to conclusions didn't seem rational at this moment either, there's a chance the other would accept him for what he is with no problem. “Agh, it’s too early in the morning to be thinking about this…” The phoenix gave out a huff, joining Taeyong in the kitchen shortly after. 

“Anything you’re interested in having for breakfast?” The college student asked.

“Whatever is quickest and easiest to you.” The phoenix grumbled “Just make sure it’s good, or I won’t dare have it slithering down my throat.” 

“Okay Prince Yuta, whatever you say my lord.” Replied a sarcastic Taeyong.

Yuta merely side-eyed him, but ignores him afterwards. His attention turns to the windows, where he remembered hearing the gunshot from. Would he be okay staying in this house any longer? What if they catch wind of his location? Would Taeyong bother helping him if he found out what he was? Yuta didn’t know, and the frustration was written all over his face. The phoenix was pulled from his thoughts when waffles were slid over to him, looking up to see Taeyong smiling somewhat.

“You’re still very stressed about last night huh..? Even I am starting to question the safety of this area now, after hearing that.” Taeyong sighed. “Maybe I can look into moving into the student housing today. I can ask Taeil, maybe he let me know if there’s a vacant dorm for us to move into.” Taeyong stated, confusing Yuta.

“Us?” He questioned. 

“Of course! I’m not gonna kick you out into the street. Even if you are a bit of a dick.” Taeyong snorted. 

“The nerve of you to insult me like this without any hesitation!” The phoenix growled.

“It’s fun because you’re so easy to anger. Hurry up and eat though, the earlier the better. I gotta get my seat before my professor marks me late again.” Taeyong quickly sits down and starts to eat his breakfast. The two would eat in silence afterwards, Yuta taking his time to savor his first waffles that had entered into his life, and Taeyong scarfing them down like nothing. The poor Phoenix was barely onto his second waffle when Taeyong dragged him from the chair and out of the front door. 

“Wait fool! I didn’t finish eating!” He protested.

“You took too long! It was like it was the first time you ever had waffles or something!” 

“It was!” Yuta growled.

Taeyong paused, his face full of disbelief from what he just heard. “Wait… what? YOU NEVER HAD WAFFLES BEFORE?” Taeyong looked like he was about to faint. The inner foodie in him was too shocked to handle this information. 

“No! We aren’t given that where I lived!” Yuta crosses his arms, pouting from being pulled away from his breakfast. 

“Fine, I’ll make it up to you, we can take you to a waffle house after school is done, okay?” 

Yuta taps his finger to his chin, moving his eyes upwards to the sky while he thinks.

“Alright, you got yourself a deal, human-- Taeyong.”

“Awesome!” 

“Yes yes, awesome indeed, lets go since you’ve already dragged me out into this sketchy alleyway.” Yuta huffed.

“It’s not so scary during the day, Yuta, I promise!” Taeyong flashed a smile, and leads the phoenix to the school gates. 

The walk to the school wasn't too long, the two arriving around 10 minutes on foot. Taeyong approached the school gates, making sure Yuta followed behind him. Pulling his wallet out, the student rummaged through it, fishing out his ID card to slide into the card reader. It takes a minute, but the reader gives Taeyong a green light to enter, the gates shortly opening afterwards. He happily strolled inside, walking a few steps ahead, though turning to look back at Yuta, who seemed to be... spacing out?

“Yuta? What’s wrong? I’m going to be late…” Taeyong complained somewhat.

“Sorry… something just seemed...off..” Yuta looked towards the alleyway, noticing the scent of a Lycan, and the scent of another mythical creature. A few specks of blood on the ground made him very alert to his surroundings. So he wasn’t the only mythical creature in this area? He stood there, pondering if the gunshot from last night had any ties with this being. The thought seemed to scare him, but he was thankfully pulled away from his thoughts when Taeyong called for him again.

“Yuta! I have to go… and if the shooters still lingering around, I don’t want you to be locked out. The gates are gonna close any second.” He called.

Yuta gave a nod in response, and quickly rushed into the schools property. Now by the human’s side, he allowed for him to guide him through the school. The surroundings were something very different from what was outside of the gates. Instead of tall buildings, there were trees. There were fields with a few students lounging around the randomly placed benches, or under man made structures that kept them shaded from the sun. Honestly this was more welcomed to him than that shady neighborhood Taeyong lived in. 

“The cafe is that way, you can’t miss it. There will be signs directing you to it.” Taeyong explained.

“Okay. I think I can handle myself here now.” Yuta took a step forward, but Taeyong grabbed him before he walked off. 

“Hold on there, eager beaver.” Taeyong reached into his pocket, and hands him a few bills. “Kun won't let you loiter around in the cafe unless you buy something. Buy yourself something to drink or eat. Tell him you’re waiting for me.” 

Yuta looked at the bills with curiosity, nodding to Taeyong afterwards. 

“I suppose I should show some sort of…” He winced a bit. “Appreciation…” He huffed. “T-thank you…” Yuta mumbled, crossing his arms as he walked off. 

Taeyong shook his head, “What am i going to do with him?" He chuckled somewhat, "I really should look into student living quarters after classes are done.” Taeyong whispered to himself, walking into the main building once Yuta disappears behind some trees. All seemed well, as he continued to trot to his class in a good mood. Unfortunately it would be ruined once he saw Doyoung up ahead. The male sighed, not wanting to deal with this raven-haired boy at this moment, but he was in the way of his morning class. Taeyong quickly walked past him, booking it to his class, but Doyoung easily noticed him.

“Lee Taeyong.” He called out, which makes the other boys he was with turn their heads towards him. “From the looks of it, seems you made yourself a new friend.” He grinned. 

Was Doyoung watching them? Taeyong didn't seemed so surprised at this, but he was annoyed that the other male was being extremely nosy. "I did, what does it matter to you, Doyoung?" Taeyong turned around, eyes meeting Doyoungs across the hallway. "Mind your own business and poke your nose into someone else's life." 

“Didn’t your parents teach you manners? It's rude to insult~” Doyoung teased, amused by Taeyong's tough act.

A tall male heads over to Taeyong, who grabs onto him firmly, attempting to bring him back towards Doyoung.

"Cant you leave me be for one week Doyoung? Why do you constantly have interfere with my business?!" Taeyong growls. "Call off your grunt here!"

“Grunt?! I’m no grunt!” The tall male growled. 

“Yukhei, volume please.” Doyoung huffed. “He is no grunt Taeyong. I will leave you alone in a minute. I’m curious about that person you brought onto the school. Who is he?” Doyoung asked, leaning over to Taeyong, squinting his eyes as if he was trying to read Taeyong like a book. 

“He’s just someone I met on the street recently. He had nowhere to go, so I’m just helping him out until then. Why do you even care?”

“Are you so desperate for friends that you let a complete stranger into your house, Yongie?” He grins.

“Please, don’t call me that.” Taeyong sighs.

“Why not~ It used to be what I called you as a kid, and when we were together~” Doyoung grinned. 

“Yeah, as a kid, when we were friends, more than friends. We’re not friends anymore, and we're also not dating anymore.n I’m not desperate for friends either! He may be a stranger but he’s scared and someone wants to hurt him. I’m just helping him. Now leave me alone.” He shoved Yukhei aside, and headed for his math class. 

Doyoung narrowed his eyes, watching Taeyong leave.

“He doesn’t know what he is, does he?” Yukhei questioned Doyoung.

Doyoung turned to the other male, grinning. “I suppose he doesn’t, which will make it a challenge. I suppose for now, we will keep our hands off of him.” 

“Wouldn’t it be better to just get Taeyong out of the way?” Another voice chimed in. 

“Yeah! If he’s gonna be in the way, why not get him out of the way! It makes perfect sense. Why should we delay our boss’ orders over a human whose getting in the way?” Yukhei responded. “We can easily separate them… or we could kill him.”

“Quiet down.” Doyoung growled. “Do remember who runs this school. Our two head honcho’s of the school have this place secured and magic restricted. If you manage to get on one of their nerves consider yourself gone from this place. We need the numbers here.” Doyoung states. 

“Fine, so what should we do? Jungwoo and me don’t want to just waste our time here either.” Yukei adds.

“You won’t be wasting time.” Doyoung grins. “Both of you go follow his friend and see what he’s up to. Figure out what kind of mythical being he is. Keep yourselves from being obvious though. The cafe is the most restricted in this whole school. As for Taeyong… I think I will have Winwin help me figure out what to do with him.” 

The two nod, and exit the building, while Doyoung watches them. He gives off a dark grin as he turns to head to his class, intrigued by what challenges seem to be coming in the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Just a reminder, updates will be sporadic due to school, so I will post Chapter 4 next time I'm free to do so~


	4. The Mage & Kirin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Sorry this is a little late. Hope you enjoy this chapter~ Have a good read and a good day!

Yuta arrives to the cafe a while after leaving Taeyong, thanking him mentally for the instruction to follow the arrows. Looking through the inside of the cafe’s windows, he noticed not many were inside. Comforted by this, he opened the door to the cafe, the jingling tone of the doorbell signalling the man behind the counter to Yuta’s presence. The man flashed Yuta a welcoming smile, and set down a mug that he was cleaning, giving the phoenix his full attention as he cleared his throat..

“Welcome to the Sun & Moon Cafe! Haven’t seen you around before, are you perhaps new around here?”

Cautiously, Yuta walks over to him, smiling back somewhat as he took a look at the written menu that hung above the other man. “Uh, yes I am… are you perhaps Kun?” Yuta asks, looking the other head to toe, examining him.

“Yes I am. Qian Kun at your service! And may I ask who you are? You don’t seem to be a student since I don’t see a school ID on you..?” Kun narrows his eyes somewhat, as if making a mental comment. 

“Mn, I don’t come here… Taeyong said I should come with him to school since a shooting happened near his home last night. He was concerned about leaving me alone.” Yuta explains. “Oh yes… my name is Nakamoto Yuta.” He quickly adds.

Kun seemed somewhat surprised, his eyebrows raise slightly. “Taeyong, huh? Well alright. Nice to meet you, Yuta. Take a seat after you find something that peaks your interest.” Kun crosses his arms, eyes narrowing again, as if he was trying to read Yuta like some kind of book. Kun’s expression softens after a moment, smiling. “Have you gone to get an education by the way? Maybe you should consider signing up for the next semester.” Kun almost sounded hopeful of Yuta accepting his offer, which made Yuta look at him confused. 

“N-no I haven’t… is there a reason you want me here?” Yuta questioned, his voice seeming hesitant.

Kun glanced around his cafe, making sure no unwanted listeners were around. He leaned over closer to Yuta. “You’re not human are you..?” Kun questioned, which causes the other to make a shocked expression. Kun quickly raised his hands up. “Don’t be alarmed, I won’t hurt you.” Kun reassures, smiling at him. 

Yuta didn’t seem convinced though. He was completely thrown off by how this human could guess what he was so fast.“How could you possibly know what I am?” Yuta questioned, giving off a bit of a threatening glare. 

Kun merely laughed off his attempts. “Phoenix’s give off that fiery aura.” He explains. “I’m a mage, and this school was created by my family to house and protect the mythical from the dangers of ill intentioned people. A friend of mine helps me manage the mythic’s who come through here. This is a safe haven for them.” 

It took him awhile to believe this, but Yuta seemed to finally let his guard down some. If this Kun really wanted to hurt him, he would have done it already. Relief becomes present in his expression now. “I was told most humans would want to kill me.” He comments. “And some certainly do want to kill me. I was chased the moment I got here…”

Kun frowns somewhat, but shakes his head. “Only those associated with the Hunters of Mythos, and other organizations like it, want to kill you. Normal humans… it depends.” Kun sighs, but decides to get off that topic. “You are staying with Taeyong yes? I am assuming he doesn’t know what you are?” 

“He doesn’t… I was unsure if I could trust him with that information. I’m… a little afraid to tell him.” Yuta frowns, not wanting to think about his reaction to the news. Sure, he only knew Taeyong for a day, but it seems the human began to grow on Yuta little bit. 

“He may catch on eventually.” Kun comments. “He’s got a knack for knowing when something’s off.” 

“S_o I’ve noticed._” Yuta huffs.

“Hah! Well, you should have Taeyong look into student housing. You both can stay in a safe space, Taeil may have a spot for you two.”

“Taeil..?” Yuta tilts his head. 

“Moon Taeil. He is normally in the faculty room filing student files and seeing who attends every day. There are hunters out there… and admittedly… some do attend here as well..” Kun immediately puts his hand on Yuta’s shoulder to comfort him, noting the others worried expression. “You are safe here Yuta. I assure it. It is strictly forbidden for them to touch anyone while on school grounds. My protective spell also neutralizes outside weapons and magic. Although they may be here, they can’t hurt you within the gates. Not so long as I am around, and certainly not when Taeil is around.”

Yuta smiles somewhat, comforted by that. “Well.. thank you for explaining this to me.” 

“Where are you from, anyway?” Kun questions, “Phoenix’s don’t usually associate with anyone below the clouds.”

“Malfare, the hidden city in the skies.. My grandfather banished me from there. I’ve nothing but the ability to control flames. I can’t transform, my immortality is stripped of me.. I’m stranded here until I “fix my attitude.’” he quotes bitterly. 

“Attitude? You seem fine to me..” Kun mumbles, confused.

“I’ve been...trying to work on it.” He huffs. “You’ve no idea how humiliating it is for a being like me to associate himself with little worms like humans and other lesser mythicals.” Yuta comments.

The mage merely stares at him, now seeming to understand. “Oh.” He states. “Now I know what he means.” the mage chuckles. “Well.. that explains why you’re with Taeyong now. Don’t worry Yuta, we’ll help you here. You’re always welcome to talk to me and Taeil.” He smiles, but it quickly fades when he notices two particular characters coming through the doors. 

“I think you may not want to leave for awhile, Yuta. Whatever you do…” He motions towards the two coming in through the door. “Don’t ever talk to them alone. I’ll make your drink and food on the house today.” Kun walks off to make Yuta a coffee, while the other two approach.

Yuta glanced over at them, unsure why Kun was warning him of the two. He made sure to study them, eyeing the youngest of the two for a moment. His voice was deep, his hair seemed a golden-brown like color, well built… Yuta could tell he was some sort of canine-like mythical. His friend, on the other hand, had a dark look to him, sinister. His face would betray this type of aura, looking quite innocent, and he was acting it out very well indeed. The mischievous and dark aura could only belong to those pesky fox-like mythos. Yuta decides it’s wise to heed Kun’s warning in the end.

“You’re new around here aren’t you?” The younger suddenly asked, making Yuta flinch somewhat. “Oh sorry! I didn’t meant to scare ya there buddy.” He laughs loudly, though gives a bit of a grunt when the other gives him a tap, silencing the other.

  
“We’ve never seen you around. Where are you from hm?” The older of the two leans close, sniffing at Yuta somewhat, who smacked him away.

“Personal space, _vermin_.” Yuta snaps. “You’re too close for comfort, and mind you, sniffing at me like I stink is such a rude gesture. Learn some damn manners.” 

“**_VeRmIN?!_**” The younger scoffed loudly, offended. “We’re not vermin! We’re scary and tough and if you slap Jungwoo like that again I’ll bite you!” he growls.

_“Dogs_. Their barks are always worse than their bites.” Yuta sighs, clearly ignoring the younger, eyes focused on the menu.

“D-dog…” The younger repeats, balling his fist.

“Yukhei, why are you offended? _You are a dog_.” Jungwoo comments, patting his shoulder.

“I’m not just some common hound!” Yukhei scoffs. “I’ve bloodied up plenty to strike fear in the eyes of others.”

“Well, work harder to scare me, pup.” The phoenix comments, smirking. He may be putting off his typical, arrogant self, but deep down, he was terrified of these two.

“Pup!? **PUP!?**” Yukhei growls, but Jungwoo grabs the hood of his hoodie to pull him back.

“Calm down, hound.” Jungwoo growls, eyeing Yuta. “You… if you ever slap me like that again, I will make you regret it. You think you’re all that, but you’re nothing but poultry waiting to be served up on a silver platter…” Jungwoo practically snarled.

  
“Back up now, _both of you_.” Kun quickly steps in, setting Yuta’s coffee down in front of him, though his gaze did not move from the two threats. “I’m giving you ten seconds to back away from here. You’re welcome to stay here, but I won’t be tolerating threats here. You should know your place while your on this property…” Kun threatens.

Yukhei whined at his tone, heeding his warning, biting his lip and bowing his head submissively while taking a few step backs. His tail would be between his legs if he was in his true form. Yuta was right about one thing, Yukhei was mostly all bark and no bite. Jungwoo on the other hand, merely glared at Kun, barely taking a step back. The fox had a dark look to his eyes. The phoenix swears the fox’s aura was on fire with all sorts of rage, but the boy merely grins, showing his teeth.

“You can’t always shield them from us forever, Kun.” Jungwoo warns. “We will pick them off the moment they step out of the gates. Doyoung is not the only one you should be concerned about.” 

Kun scoffs. “I’m very much aware that the Mythos Order hangs around in these walls. I may not be able to control what happens outside this school, but you’re INSIDE it now, and what I say goes.” Kun narrows his eyes. “Now play nice, before someone gets hurt.” 

Jungwoo growls somewhat, but looks towards Yukhei, motioning his head towards the door. “Let’s go. We’re not welcomed here currently.” 

Yukhei nods, looking back at Kun and Yuta with a fierce expression before the two walk outside.

Yuta sighs in relief, happy the two were away from him. He looked over at Kun shortly after, frowning somewhat from the question he was about to ask. “They kill people, don’t they? THat Yukhei fellow bragged about bloodying people up…” 

"Unfortunately they do…” Kun sighs. “You need to keep your eyes open for them when you leave the school grounds tonight. You may have some protection from Taeyong for the moment though, but they will end up hurting him if you continue living where he currently lives. A human can only safeguard you so long before they get tired of waiting.” 

Yuta’s expression saddened, concerned over this news. They would hurt Taeyong? He didn’t know why he felt an urge to protect the human, normally he didn’t give two shits about anyone but himself. Maybe Taeyong really is rubbing off on him a bit? Absurd! He has no time to worry about a mortal of low value..! Taeyong’s life was short regardless, so what if people cut it shorter than expected? Humans were frail, weak, they didn’t deserve pity...

Or so he thought… 

“I will...try to convince him to move here quickly…” Yuta mumbles. He won’t admit it, but he really doesn’t want anything to happen to Taeyong. He was so confused. His instincts tell Yuta to forget Taeyong, not to waste time, but his mind tells him another thing. It was frustrating to deal with, how could a human complicate his beliefs in one short day? “Kun… how do you think he may react when he finds out I’m not human?” He questions, frowning.

“I thought you didn’t care about anyone else?” Kun smirked. 

“Hmph, he’s been nice to me… shows me kindness even though I act rudely to him. He’s odd, but tolerable.” Yuta scoffs. “That’s all it is, I dare not grow soft for something that dies in the blink of an eye.”

“Okay okay. You sound like Johnny, but more self centered and full of it.” Kun shakes his head. “I don’t know how to answer you, Yuta. I know him, but we’re not close friends. He seems nice enough, and you’ve already said he’s been kind towards you, despite your asshole attitude.” Kun chuckles. “I don’t think he will turn around and toss you back out in the street. He may just need time to process that ‘mythology’ is very real, and not just stories. He’s skeptical about all this stuff after all.” 

“I see.” Yuta responds, taking a curious sip from his coffee. His expression turns disgusted with the bitterness of it. “What kind of hell drink did you give me? It’s so bitter!” 

“Just seeing if you like it plain.” Kun laughs, taking the coffee back to mix in some more stuff, eager to make the right mixture to satisfy the moody phoenix.

Yuta frowns again, crossing his arms as he waits. For the moment his mind wanders to where Taeyong was. What sort of ‘classes’ did he have to be in? Why did he have to be gone so long today? Is that normal for people to do in these places? Be gone so long from home? Didn’t they get homesick? Yuta was clueless. All he could hope for was that no one from this ‘Mythos Order’ bothered him.

* * *

The duo leave the premises of the cafe grounds, Jungwoo still fuming by the fact that he was slapped, as he was rambling to himself about the ‘audacity of this bitch to slap me’. Yukhei did his best to calm him down, but it was to no avail, he eventually decides to leave Jungwoo alone. Deciding it was best that he left to his class, Yukhei bid his temporary farewell to Jungwoo, and headed for his class. Jungwoo on the other hand, waits on a bench for one of his colleagues to exit their own class, which would end in about an hour. 

Once the hour has passed, Doyoung, along with another male, came out of the classroom. The two notice Jungwoo, greeting him quietly. Jungwoo stood up from his seat, and approaches the two, bowing his head in a respectful manner. These two were his superiors after all.

“Doyoung, Sicheng…” Jungwoo states, keeping his head bowed.

The one named Sicheng scoffs. “Don’t use my proper name here. It’s WinWin.” He states bitterly.

“WinWin? But you lose bets against Donghyuck almost 90% of the time.” Jungwoo jokes. “If anything it should be Loselose.” Now just because Sicheng was the loyal partner to his boss, did not mean he wouldn’t tease him if he had the chance too.

“ITS. WINWIN.” WinWin hisses through his teeth, stopping himself from blowing out a puff of smoke from his mild frustration.

Doyoung frowned at Jungwoo, giving him a light tap on his arm. “Stop antagonizing him. What did you learn about the one that was hanging out with Taeyong?” Doyoung asked. 

Jungwoo straightens himself out, clearing his throat. “He has the same kind of scent our leader has…” Jungwoo states. “He’s a phoenix just like him. We couldn’t really gather much more information due to Kun being in the way.” 0

Doyoung sighs, frustrated with this. “Qian Kun, that annoying mage…” he grumbled. Kun or Taeil, one of them always got in the way of his plans.

“What do you want us to do, Doyoung?” Jungwoo asked, curious.

“WinWin managed to get Taeyong’s student file without Taeil noticing. We know where he lives. We will be paying Taeyong and his friend a visit tonight.” Doyoung explains, patting Sicheng’s shoulder a bit. The other merely frowned. 

“Does this mean we must dispose of Taeyong and his friend?” Jungwoo questions.

Doyoung glares at his ‘friends’, who immediately step away and bow their heads submissively. “_**NOBODY**_, is to touch Taeyong. We will have problems if a non-mythical dies by our hands. We just want his friend. If any of you so much as lay a claw or paw on Lee Taeyong, consider your skulls shattered by one of my bullets.” He snaps. 

“Understood sir…” Jungwoo says obediently.

Sicheng nudged Doyoung somewhat, motioning to something behind him. The moment Doyoung turned to see what it was, he couldn’t help but sigh in annoyance.

“Mind keeping your murder plots down?” A man states, crossing his arms. 

A raven haired male stood behind them, giving off a strong presence. His eyes were fierce, eyes narrowed as he looked over the three before him. Jungwoo couldn’t help but back away, but Doyoung and Winwin stood their ground. 

“Moon Taeil, it seems you don’t mind your business.” Doyoung scoffs.

“_I do actually_. I was heading to see Kun, but you three are bragging about your plans in the middle of the hallway. You best get moving and discuss these things elsewhere. You touch anyone in this school, and I will not hesitate to fry the lot of you. Kun may be forgiving to your order if you step out of line by just kicking you out, but I am NOT as lenient as he is.” Taeil threatened. 

Winwin looked down, finally stepping down from fear, though he did not step too far back, as Doyoung continued to stand his ground against the Kirin. “You may keep this school under guard, but do know a good chunk of your students do not live in the housing. The ones who step out of those gates are fair game.” Doyoung states.

“And I am aware of this. I don’t need reminders.” Taeil narrows his eyes. “But you’re not outside these gates, and I will not allow such talk of killing someone in this school go unpunished. As for you, Winwin, it seems you really want to annoy Doyoung’s family huh? Top notch dragon coming to this school and all... I can remove your scholarship for breaching security of another student.”

Winwin looks at Taeil with slight shock, but was also gritting his sharp teeth in annoyance. He thought he was slick, but it seems Taeil was one step ahead of him. As expected of his friend. “Im sorry Taeil…Please don’t take it away, they won’t pay for it otherwise and I don’t want to be there alone...” 

Taeil sighed. “I won’t do that to you, Winwin, because you’re a friend. However, if I find out you’re snooping around again, whether you’re my friend or not, I will have to report you.” 

Winwin nods his head and turns around to leave, encouraging Doyoung to do the same. 

Doyoung huffs. “You best warn the non-human students to be wary of leaving the school grounds. I won’t hesitate to pick them off the moment they walk out of those gates. Under The Golden One’s orders, he wants all mythicals who do not follow him to be done away with.” 

Taeil scoffs. “A Kirrin of my league does not bend to what a bird demands. Now run along, Doyoung. I think the Golden One wants you to preen his feathers for him.” Taeil walks past Doyoung, who glares at him. 

“Just you wait for the day when you and Kun won’t be around to protect the people hiding in this area.” He grumbled. He searches through his pocket for his phone, and sends a text out to his closest members. The Mythos Order was a large organization formed by the Golden One’s followers, but Doyoung’s faction was one of the orders best. The Black Fangs were a feared group within the order, and nobody wanted to mess with any of the members.

“ _ We have a new target in mind and we will be acting tonight. We will take Lee Taeyong’s new roommate, who is a phoenix just like the Golden One. Our leader may be interested in seeing someone of his kind. The address provided is the targets home. Do NOT lay a finger, claw, or paw on Lee Taeyong, or there will be serious consequences. I want my best stealth members to execute this mission. Good luck, and **DO NOT FAIL ME.”** _

Doyoung hits the send button, and grins sadistically to himself, more so, when Lee Taeyong exits his Biology classroom, and heads for his Chemistry class.

“Lee Taeyong, I hope you enjoy the company I send you.” Grins Doyoung.


	5. Unwanted Guests

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally here! Sorry this took me awhile everyone, I wasn't happy with the original version of this chapter and ended up rewriting it from scratch. I hope you all enjoy it, and thank you for waiting patiently for this update~

Taeyong sighed as he exits the building, after hours of classes. His science classes, and his single math class, being held one after another on a single day was tiresome. Exhausted, and quite fed up with school, he drags his feet towards the Sun & Moon Café, where Yuta would most likely be waiting impatiently for him. Taeyong already looked as if he was ready to collapse and take a nap any second now, but he held strong, a tired sigh once he approached and pushed open the door. The ringing of a small bell above the door alerted Kun and Yuta to his arrival, and Tae took notice of Yuta’s relieved smile. It wouldn’t last though, since Yuta quickly rolled his eyes and returned to his usual, stick-up-the-ass personality.

“What kept you so long? The fact you could have left me in that shady neighborhood of yours this long! You best be glad you brought me here, or I would have let you have it with a scolding!” The phoenix scolded, an obvious, upset pout present on his face.

Taeyong shook his head, smiling somewhat “Still as dickish as ever, what happened to the scared and nervous Yuta this morning? He was nicer.” He chuckled.

Yuta’s face turned red at the comment. “We don’t bring that up, fool!”

Taeyong grinned at him, then turned to Kun. “Hello, Kun! Thanks for looking after him for me. I hope he wasn’t too grouchy or mean to you.” 

“It was no trouble.” Kun smiled, handing Taeyong a coffee. “Looks like you need it.” 

“Oh, thank you!” Taeyong happily took the coffee, eagerly taking a sip.

Yuta watched him, narrowing his eyes a bit. “Taeyong… I think we should look into staying within the school grounds from here on out? It’s much safer here… you have security from the school gates, security from the… security.” Yuta muttered, looking around somewhat.

Taeyong nodded in agreement. “I agree with you Yuta, but I don’t think Taeil is in the office to request housing anymore…” 

“He’s not, be he is here in the cafe.” Kun interrupted. “He’s on the second floor where we keep all our stored equipment. I will call him for you so you can talk to him.” Kun offered.

“That would be great actually! Thanks Kun!” Taeyong bowed his head gratefully, watching Kun leave the counter to fetch Taeil. 

“Taeyong…” The phoenix looked over at the brunette, “I have a sinking feeling we should not go back to your house tonight…” 

“Why’s that?” Asked Taeyong, confused by the sudden concern present on Yuta’s face.

“I don’t know.. I just… I don't have a good feeling…” Yuta replied, fingers tapping against his arm in an anxious manner.

Taeyong placed his hand on his shoulder, attempting to calm him down.“Don’t worry, Yuta, we’ll be fine. You’re probably just nervous from the gunshot you heard last night.” Taeyong reassures, smiling at him. 

“It’s a perfectly good reason to be concerned!” Yuta huffed and looked away to hide his reddening cheeks. Can this man stop smiling so much? Something about his smiling makes him feel weird, he doesn’t like the foreign feeling one bit. Yuta’s attention is moved towards Kun, as returned with Taeil, the latter taking a seat next Yuta. Taeil looked Yuta over closely, making the phoenix lean away from him with a glare. 

“I’d mind my space if I were you.” Yuta hissed.

Taeil merely chuckled. “Oh, a tough guy.” Taeil replied, seeming unfazed by the false threat the phoenix had given him. “You must be this... Yuta.. Kun was talking to me about.” Taeil then turned to look towards Taeyong, smiling somewhat. “You’re looking for student housing yes?” 

“Yes... Last night we heard a gunshot by my apartment, and it made my friend very nervous. Even I am starting to question the safety of the area.” Taeyong explained. “I figured getting housing here would be beneficial as well. We both wouldn’t have to walk the streets at night to get back home. It’s just generally more safer to pick a place here.”

Taeil nodded his head, crossing his arms. He looked over both of them curiously, before sighing lightly. “I would…” He began, “But your friend isn’t enrolled here. He can’t be here unless he’s a student, so you’d have to get him registered to attend soon. Only then, can I get you an apartment in the dorms. Will you be signing your friend to attend the spring semester?”

Taeyong looked over towards Yuta, who nodded somewhat excitedly. “I already want to study here, so that won't be a problem for us anymore, right?”

“It won’t.” Taeil flashed a smile. He stood up and walked towards the two, handing them both a form. “Look over everything in this form and mark what you need and where you prefer to stay in. There are plenty of rooms available.” 

Both began to look over the form, discussing back and forth about things they would need. They both agree on new furnishings, an apartment on a level where there was less people, and at least one personal bathroom & shower. They hand the forms back to Taeil, who looks them over thoroughly before smiling at them once again. “Okay, looks good. I will get things prepped starting tomorrow. Pack up what you want to bring over. We will meet here tomorrow morning so I can show you to your new room.” 

“Thank you, Taeil!” Taeyong bowed, and what surprised Taeyong, was that Yuta followed in this gesture as well.

“No need for thank yous. This place is here to protect you. It’s meant for you after all.” Taeil glanced at Yuta for a moment, who gives a subtle nod towards Taeil for the reassuring words.

Kun finally chimed in, noticing the time. “It’s getting late now. You two should head home… though, maybe it might be better if you just crash with me and Taeil..?” Kun offered, showing some type of concern. Even Taeil seems a little surprised with this offer, but Taeyong was more thrown off by it. 

“Why offer that?” Taeyong questioned curiously.

“Ah.., just a weird feeling.” Kun mumbled. “I feel like you shouldn’t head out the gate so late… especially when you heard gunshots last night.”

“First Yuta, and now you? I’m sure it won't happen again, there’s already police patrolling the area too.” Taeyong frowned a bit. “How about we just exchange numbers incase something happens? I still don’t think anything bad will happen, but maybe that can ease your nerves a bit?” Taeyong hoped Kun would accept the offer, not wanting to burden Kun and Taeil.

Kun sighed, it was clear that it was no winning with Taeyong. “Somewhat… but at least be on the lookout? The fact that a gunshot happened around this time last night has me a bit concerned about you two walking back home, even if the cops are patrolling.” Kun admitted.

“Don’t worry, Kun. I always carry a pocket knife with me. The moment anything seems off, I’ll turn around and come back with you, okay?” Taeyong assured.

Yuta sighs. “A knife won’t do anything to a gun.” he grumblds. 

“You’re right, but the bullet has to  _ hit me _ first.” Taeyong stated, joking somewhat.

“That is nothing to joke about, fool.” Yuta scoffed, looking away. “Exchange these numbers already so we can get to your house. The quicker the better.”

“I'm going, I'm going.” Taeyong sighed at his demanding companion, handing Kun his number. Kun returned the gesture, then gave Taeyong a pat on the shoulder. Taeyong couldn’t help but frown at how concerned Kun still looked.

“ _ Please  _ call me if anything comes up? Our door is welcome to you.” Kun frowned, tone full of worry.

“We will, don’t worry too much okay?” Taeyong tried to assure, but it didn’t really do much to change Kun’s concerned expression.

Kun reluctantly watched the two exit the cafe, which caught Taeil’s attention. The kirin moved over to rub at Kun’s shoulders slightly, as an attempt to make him feel somewhat at ease. However, Kun could only sigh worriedly. “I don’t have a good feeling about them going home, Taeil.” Kun mumbled, “Something about tonight is just bothering me…”

Taeil sighed, letting hands slide off Kun’s shoulders. “I think you may have a reason to be concerned…” The kirin began, “It seemed like Doyoung may have been plotting something when I was doing my patrols around the school.” Taeil glanced at Kun’s expression, which just increased in worry. Taeil didn’t want him to stress over this. “Do you want me to at least follow them home? To ensure they reach there safely? I can try to run and catch up to them.” he offered.

“Please… I would come with you, but alas the Qian family burden prevents me from leaving the premises at all.” Kun stated sadly. 

“It’s not a problem… you know that by now. You’re already doing so much keeping the barrier up. I’ll go catch up to them now, but you should head back home. Don’t wait for me to sleep either.” With that Taeil left the cafe, leaving Kun to lock up the cafe and return to his dorm at the student housing complex. He could only hope Taeil would reach Taeyong and Yuta in time, before anything tried to hurt them.

While rummaging through his bag, Taeyong and Yuta were already nearing the gate to leave the school grounds. Yuta seemed on edge, keeping an eye on their surroundings, his posture alert and ready to sprint away if need be. Taeyong on the other hand, seemed more at ease, groaning once he finally found his school ID. Yuta frowned at how his human companion was so oblivious to the danger, his mind kept telling him to confess to Taeyong about what he truly is, and why he felt so on edge and in danger. He bites his lip, contemplating it for a moment, but it seems it was too late. The sound of the gates creaking open interrupt his thoughts, and Taeyong’s already out of the property, motioning for Yuta to follow him. The phoenix reluctantly follows.

“Don’t be so nervous, Yuta. It’s going to be fine.” Taeyong reassured. He honestly wasn’t sure what was bothering Yuta, but at this point, Taeyong began to feel uncomfortable. The sooner they rush home the better, he would feel at ease once they get there right? All Taeyong wanted was to take a warm shower and go to bed. Yuta didn’t answer his attempts to get him to relax, still seeming to preoccupied with watching his surroundings, Taeyong decided to let him be. He couldn’t shake his nervous feeling off, Taeyong begun to feel watched, and it seemed Yuta is also feeling this. The phoenix encouraged for the two to walk faster, to which Taeyong gladly agrees to do, already fishing for his keys so he could head inside his apartment quickly.

The pair arrive at the apartment, Taeyong breathing a sigh of relief as he managed to get the old, creaky door open. Yuta stepped inside quickly, followed by Taeyong, who shut the door immediately. He should be feeling safe at home, but something felt...off. Everything was too quiet, too still. Yuta seemed even more on edge, as if he sensed something that sent him into a defensive posture. Taeyong grabbed onto something sharp as he looked through the house, cautiously opening the door to his room. He didn’t remember closing the door, nor did he remember Yuta actually closing it this morning. Taeyong bit his lip, and Yuta seemed desperate to get away from the house now, feeling uncomfortably cornered. Taeyong may not sense them, but Yuta could sese two mythical creatures hiding inside somewhere, and it terrified him. Whatever scheme they were plotting, they were doing it while he and Taeyong were confused and flustered over the situation.

“Taeyong… Maybe we should go back to school…” Yuta whispered quietly. 

Even Taeyong seems to agree. “Yeah… we should go… I don’t feel right.” Taeyong muttered quietly.

The two made their way back to the door, but before they could reach it, two large, canine looking beasts leapt from the shadows, snarling at the two. Taeyong screamed from the sudden appearance of the two, while Yuta merely growled, backing up against the wall. It was too late it seems. Yuta gritted his teeth as he faced the two, identifying the species of canines as a young looking Haetae, and the other being a Tiangou. The two inched closer, focused more on Yuta than Taeyong, which made the phoenix even more nervous.

“Our boss seems interested in you.” The Tiangou spoke, baring his fangs.

“We can either bring you in dead or alive, he won’t care.” The Haetae grinned, “It’s through the Golden One’s orders, and what he says is law.” 

Yuta scoffed. “Nobody orders me around, especially mangey hounds like you.”

“Mangey?!” The Tiangou snarled. “I’ll have you know I am a clean and healthy canine, you stupid bird!” He growled, lunging for Yuta. 

Yuta quickly shoved Taeyong away, getting tackled down into the kitchen by the hound. Taeyong ran to help, but he is cut off by the Haetae, who snarled and bared his claws and teeth at the frail human. Taeyong is intimidated by him, sure, but Yuta needed his help, especially since these two creatures wanted him so badly. What would they do to him if they successfully took him to this boss or Golden One of theirs? He may have only known him for a day, but he didn’t save his ass yesterday just so he could possibly be killed the next day.

“Know your place, human! Boss ordered for us not to lay a hand on you, but if you interfere, I will defy him and get rid of you.” The Haetae threatened. 

Taeyong bit his lip, glancing towards Yuta, who was struggling to get the large, black dog off of him. The Tiangou would bite and shake his head constantly, causing Yuta to yell from the pain he was going through. Taeyong hated not knowing what to do, or how to properly react to this bizarre situation, he was faced with two mythological beings after all! Things he considered to be just old myths! Never did he expect this to be real, nor did he know how to handle such creatures! He grips the knife in his hand, and it suddenly hits him. A knife! How could he forget that he was holding one? He wasted no time in using it, quickly slashing at the Haetae’s face.

The Haetae snarled in pain, backing away and shaking his head from the sudden attack. Taeyong takes this as an opportunity to head into the kitchen, and jab the knife into the other beasts back. The Tiangou yelped from surprise, and no less from the pain as well. Yuta quickly kicks the canine off his body, and Taeyong is quick to help the injured Yuta on his feet. He slings the injured males arm around him, and starts to head back out the door. He notices the Haetae chasing after them, and before he could leap, Taeyong runs out with Yuta, and kicks the door shut, causing the Haetae to slam into it.

“I know you’re hurt but we’ll be sitting ducks out here if you make me carry you, just run back to the school and you can rest all you want!” Taeyong stated in a shout, already starting to sprint.

Yuta merely scoffed, and follows behind him. 

They ran for a few minutes, and they’re nearing the school grounds, which sends a wave of relief over the two. It was only a few more minutes away, they could make it if they just kept running! Or at least… that’s what Taeyong had hoped for. As they turned to the final street that lead to the school, the Tiangou and Haetae leapt from the shadows. Again, the Tiangou went for the phoenix, but this time Yuta dodged the attack, and giving the canine a hard kick to the side.

Taeyong however, wasn’t so lucky. The Haetae had tackled full force into Taeyong, sending the frail human straight towards the wall of a building. Taeyong slamed into it, which catches Yuta’s attention. Quickly, the phoenix sprinted towards the Haetae, landing a swift kick into its already injured face. The beast backed off, snarling from pain, while Yuta quickly made his way over to Taeyong. His friend is dazed and looking like he could black out any moment. What a problem... What was Yuta supposed to do in this situation? He could run, he could save himself. Why stay for a human? That’s normally how he would think, but something prevented him from doing so. Did he grow so attached to this human already? So quickly? Why? There wasn’t anything special about him, besides the fact that he had helped him the other day. 

“Tsk, I suppose I just owe him…” He grumbled, standing over Taeyong protectively. He wasn't sure what he could do, but he was willing to stand his ground. 

The Tiangou and Haetae growled as they inched towards Yuta and Taeyong, the Haetae snarling and getting ready to pounce any second. Yuta hovered over Taeyong, bracing for the beast to pounce at him. As the Haetae gave a snarl and leapt towards the Phoenix, a bolt of lightning struck him back into the ground. The Tiangou yelped in surprise, immediately backing away from with his tail between his legs. The poor Haetae whined and twitched from the electric shock, shakily raising his head to find the source. Both beasts pinned their ears back in submission once they saw Taeil making his way towards them.

“J-Jaemin…” The Tiangou suddenly whimpered. “We should go… we can’t take him on, and I rather not end up fried.”

“Urg… so meddlesome.” The Haetae, named Jaemin, grumbled.

Taeil stood between them, and Yuta, arms crossed as he eyed the two cautiously. “I suggest you run back to whoever sent you. Your business here is done with, Lucas.” Taeil stated.

The Tiangou, now known as Lucas, gulped nervously, and inched over to help Jaemin back to his feet. The two would quickly leave, no longer wanting anything to do with the group for the time being. Taeil watched them as they left, making sure they were out of full view, before turning to look towards Yuta and Taeyong. He frowned seeing how tattered and exhausted they looked, crouching down in order to lift Taeyong off the ground.

“You followed us?” Yuta asked. “I thought I'd be a goner…” 

“Kun was getting worried.” Taeil responded, holding Taeyong securely. “We should go. We’re still not alone, and I rather not wait to see if whoever is spying on us will attempt to attack.” 

This was enough to get Yuta’s full attention, walking close to Taeil as the older lead the way back to the school grounds. Taeil was right, they were being watched, but he was careful to keep himself hidden. Sicheng narrowed his eyes, watching the three walk towards their safe haven. A gave an annoyed click of his tongue, leaping from the roof of the building he was on, and landing unharmed onto the ground. He looks to the direction where Lucas and Jaemin had retreated, following their scents until he ends up finding them. He gave a disappointed sigh, crossing his arms.

“Master’s not going to be happy about you two failing.” Sicheng commented.

“We didn’t think the kirin would interfere!” Jaemin growled, but whined afterwards. He was still feeling the pain from that unpleasant lightning bolt.

“Honestly neither did I…” Sicheng sighed. “No matter though… we will get them some other time. I’ll...make sure Master Doyoung doesn’t get too angry with you. You did end up hurting the human we were not supposed to touch…” 

Jaemin frowned. “He hurt me! The least I could do is pay him back for what he did.” He growled. 

“Yeah… don’t let him hear that though. Come on… while the sky is still dark enough to for me to fly you back.” Sicheng stated. “Let’s head back towards the park so I can fly us back home.” 

Lucas and Jaemin gave a nod, and the three head off to their destination. They all hoped that Doyoung would be more forgiving towards their failure, after knowing Taeil interfered, though the fact that they harmed Taeyong… Jaemin couldn’t help but feel nervous about Doyoung’s reaction. After all… Doyoung threatened to punish them severely if they laid a single claw on him. He supposed he would only find out once he got back to report to Doyoung. The three reach the park soon after, and Sicheng is finally free to shift forms, letting his wing down for the two. Lucas and Jaemin climbed onto his back, and with the cover of night, Sicheng took to the sky, and flew back towards their headquarters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to give me a follow at @Sentrennyzen on twitter, not necessary, but if you don't mind my randomness and maybe want to ask me questions about ashes, feel free to follow me!


	6. The Two Dragons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally here! I'm sorry if the ending may seem off, but It will get into more detail soon! Thank you for being so patient with me, I will try to update every month, but with classes starting again, things might be slower, I hope you'll still stick around though!
> 
> Also, what do you think about a chapter on the villains side once and while? I believe showing you both perspectives of good & bad would help you understand the story better! Please let me know if you would like to see a chapter on what goes on with Doyoung's side of this story~ Thank you for reading, and may you all have a good day!

The morning sun is trickling through the curtains, hitting Yuta’s face with its rays. The phoenix shuts his eyes tightly, lifting his arms to stretch them out. The chair he sat in squeaks slightly from the movement, and Yuta is getting on his feet to rub at his back. He’s inside the school’s infirmary, where he stayed with Taeyong, after Taeil had brought them back. Yuta looks himself over for a moment, eyeing the bandages on his arm, where that foul mutt had sunk his teeth into him. 

“_ Damn mongrel. I’ll make him pay for biting me, I hope that mutt doesn’t carry any diseases.” _he complains bitterly to himself. 

Now, his attention is to his human companion, examining the bandages that were wrapped around his head. As annoyed as he was to be bitten, he was even more upset over the fact that they involved Taeyong into this mess. He remembers clearly how that Haetae tackled him at full force, and how scared he himself was, when Taeyong wouldn’t move a muscle, or even open his eyes when they got him to safety. As a phoenix who could come back to life at any given time, permanent death was something he couldn’t, and didn’t want to learn, how to comprehend. Human’s were fragile, he knew this, and even talked negatively about them, but getting to know Taeyong in this short while? Well, he didn’t want to witness his only trustworthy friend in this unknown part of the world he is currently banished too.

A frown appeared on the phoenix’s face, taking note that Taeyong was still not moving much, aside from his breathing, and hadn’t opened his eyes. Worry settles into his body, wondering if the attack did more than just knock Taeyong out cold. Distracted by these thoughts, he didn’t notice Kun reaching for his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him, letting out a surprised yelp.

“Ah, sorry. I should have said something when I came in.” Kun bows his head in apology. “I came to see how you two were doing… Taeil was lucky to get to you two in time.” 

Yuta frowns. “He hasn’t moved since they put him here.” he comments.

“He will soon. It may have looked scary, since he was bleeding from his head, but the injury wasn’t too serious. He’s just out cold.” Kun explains. “He will most likely wake up later today.”

“How can you be so sure?” Yuta questions. 

“For starters,” Kun states, “The nurses here are mages that mostly focus on healing magic. They healed the worst of his injury, which wasn’t much to begin with.” Kun explains. “They’re training here before they work in more professional fields.”

Yuta blinks in surprise. This school really was filled with people of the magical and supernatural background. “Do other humans here know about people like me?” He questions.

“Most do.” Kun replies. “There’s a few areas in the school where most don’t have to hide themselves, and they are hidden behind magical barriers I put up myself, so we don’t scare anyone that might not know or believe in our abilities.” 

“That explains why this human is still so clueless in a school full of people like me…” Yuta grumbles.

“He knows about what happens here in a way… I think he was just in denial and trying to find some logic behind everything. I think what happened last night, might finally make him realize we’re not just some fairy tale creatures or folktale legends.” Kun chuckles. 

“Human’s are clueless. That’s why they’re so frail and easy to erase at times.” Yuta grumbles, eyeing Taeyong. “He was too slow to react, he has no fighting skill whatsoever.”

“Well, he knows what he’s up against now.” Kun states in his defence. “If it makes you feel better, I can teach him how to fight. If he’s sticking around with you, it would be beneficial if the both of you knew how to counter your enemies, and not just you alone.”

Yuta sighs, but he knew Kun was right. They stood no chance outside the safety of the school. Yuta knew some basics in fighting, but he wasn’t all that great when it came to throwing punches. If the two were going to stick together, then no doubt Taeyong would be targeted again by this Mythos Order. How problematic. If only he had his abilities, these people would think twice before they dare to challenge Yuta into a fight. Alas, he was just as human as Taeyong was at the moment. 

“What do you plan to teach him exactly? He’s too thin to throw anything that could hurt something like those hounds the order sent.” Yuta looks over Taeyong again, noting how bony the other was. Honestly, he should eat more.

“I may teach him a spell or two.” Kun replies. “Humans can learn magic to an extent… they just won't be as strong as I am for example.” 

“Are you not human?” Yuta questions. 

“I am human to an extent.” Kun looks Yuta in the eye. “Before the role of guardian for this school was given to me, I was taken to see a legendary dragon. My family increases their magical skills by doing favors or tasks for certain magical creatures, in return, the magical being gifts us with some of its blood. For me, since they had me go to a dragon, I have dragons blood running through me. You can probably call me a mongrel of a human.” He laughs.

“How interesting… I didn’t know bloodpacts like this existed.” Yuta ponders over what Kun has explained to him, as it was much to take in. 

“There are many things you need to learn about this world, Yuta. The life you knew in the Sky Haven’s are not the same as it is here. Magical creatures always take the form of humans to blend in with society here, to not bring much attention to themselves. I have even heard of some higher beings sealing away their offsprings magic to give them a better chance of survival. They are tricky to find, as they themselves have to find a way to break their seal.” Kun crosses his arms. “I heard tales before, that humanity and mythological co-existed together. Though it wasn’t exactly friendly, it wasn’t as bad as today.”

Yuta furrowed his brows as he took this information in. “I suppose the Golden One’s banishment here, caused a severe imbalance.” Yuta mutters quietly. 

“I believe so. Afterwards, the Mythos Order began, and enforced it’s fearsome power. The ones who serve the Order, and the Golden One, do so out of fear, however, there are many who swear loyalty to it.” Kun motions to Taeyong. “Like the ones who attacked the both of you.”

The phoenix clicks his tongue in frustration. So technically, the disorder in this part of the world was the fault of the Sky Haven’s phoenix’s for constantly banishing their kind for doing something wrong. Something to consider when he returns, a way to settle their problematic brethren, not punish them severely. He pauses for a moment after realizing that he’s not being himself again. By the havens, why did his short time being on the ground already affect his thinking this much? He never once cared about what the other phoenix’s did, as long as they never bothered him with it. Why should he be the one to settle the problems caused by the Sky Haven phoenix’s? It was not like he himself banished the Golden One to live amongst the human race in disgrace.

Although he thinks this way, deep down, this is probably why these events are playing out. Maybe fate has something in store for him, something he can’t put his finger on just yet. This must be a calling to something, but what that was? Yuta could only wonder. For now, he knew for certain that him being more open and considerate would help him get his abilities back, enough to not be burdened by fear, by possible death, and most importantly, _ losing his companion. _

“Kun…” Yuta speaks after pondering. “Is it okay if we move in to the dorm today? I would like to see how big it is and how I can possibly arrange it.” Yuta states. “It would also be best Taeyong wakes up there, instead of here.”

Kun nods to his question. “Of course. We can leave him here alone, I put up a barrier to keep him out of view, only we can enter.”

“Thank you. You didn’t have to so much. Don’t people like you exhaust themselves using so much magic?” Yuta asks curiously, cocking a brow.

Kun gives out a slight laugh. “It is tiresome, yes… but it’s what I’m meant to do. I’m sure you can tell how exhausted I actually am with how baggy my eyes look most of the time. I can’t even sleep in peace, I must keep the barriers to shield us from the order up.” Kun frowns slightly. “I can’t even step out of the school’s grounds… but it’s a sacrifice that I have accepted.” He smiles, though Yuta could tell how sad Kun was feeling behind it.

Yuta could only give a sigh in response. Hearing such a thing actually saddened him. Kun had to go through this because of his kind banishing the Golden One hundreds of years ago. Yuta could only imagine how sad and lonely the Qian family had been for taking up such a duty to protect Mythosi people from harm. He pulled himself out of his thoughts now, watching as Kun motioned for him to follow. 

The walk to the dormitories was quiet, with only Yuta taking in the scenery of the school. There were so many trees around, it was like Kun tried simulating a hidden village within a forest, possibly to shield the area from view, sky wise, at least. Yuta knew of the metal, bird-like machines the regular humans would use to fly in. There were large gardens where people could sit and study, fields for people to play in, even small shops that sold general goods. It was convenient really, as it kept Mythosi sheltering here from having to leave the safety of the school often.

“You won’t be the only ones on the top floor, by the way.” Kun states, breaking the silence. “There are three others living up there. One has been living up there for the longest time, even before I took over protecting the school. His room is three doors down from you. The other two who just moved in are right across from you.” Kun pauses at the entrance to the lobby. “Are you alright with that?” 

Yuta responds with a nod. “I don’t mind. They’re not with the order though right?” he questions cautiously.

“One can never tell… but I think they’re clear. Just be careful of who you trust. You never know who can turn their backs on you last minute The only ones you can trust for sure, is me, Taeil, and quite possibly Taeyong.” Kun warns. 

Yuta doesn’t take the warning lightly.

“Alright. Let’s press on.” Yuta states.

Kun nods, opening the doors to the lobby. He quickly leads Yuta towards the elevator, who follows him in with no hesitation. Yuta watches as Kun pushes a button for the floor they would be going to, the small ping causing him to jump as he watched the doors close. He’s suddenly confused as he felt the elevator begin to lift, and before he knows it, they are on the top floor. 

“So quickly?” He comments. 

“Heh, yeah, the elevator’s pretty fast.” Kun responds, stepping out of it. 

Yuta follows after him, and is once again guided by Kun to the room Taeyong and him would stay in. He pauses as he hears music coming from the dorm across his own, to which Kun chuckled softly. 

“That would be your two new neighbors. Would you like to get to know them?” Kun questions. 

Yuta frowned. They seemed to be noisy, but it was the polite thing to do, he supposes. He nods to Kun, watching as the other proceeds to knock on the door. The music quickly stops, and Yuta can hear footsteps fighting to get to the door. A small yelp catches his attention, while Kun merely shakes his head.

“Hyung! What was that for?!” A voice yelled angrily. 

Only a loud laugh is heard responding to the portesting yell, the door being yanked open shortly after. A well built, pink haired man stood at the doorway, staring them down with a slight grin, a dimple making itself slightly known. His very presence made Yuta straightens his posture, for even though the phoenix was known to be self centered, he knew better than to disrespect a dragon.

“Hello, Jaehyun.” Kun greets with a bow. “This is Yuta. He’s going to be your neighbor from across the hall. He’s new and needs to be sheltered from the Order. His roommate is currently at the nurses office recovering from a small injury, he will join shortly after.” 

The dragon, who is now known to be Jaehyun, smiled widely and gave Kun a nod. “Sounds fun.” He states softly.

A younger male squeezes his way through the door, his curiosity painfully obvious as he looked at Yuta and Kun. “Oh cool! We’re getting more neighbors, thats awesome man!” he states happily. 

Although his aura wasn’t as strong as Jaehyun’s, Yuta could tell that the younger was also a dragon. The phoenix bows his head in a greeting, which made Jaehyun laugh slightly. 

“No need to be so formal with me.” He states, eyes locked onto Yuta. “You can be yourself around me, it’s no problem.” Jaehyun examines Yuta, bringing his fingers up to his chin as he ponders over him. “A phoenix, just like the Golden One. No wonder the Order has particular interest in you.” Jaehyun states. 

“Yes… unfortunately.” Yuta sighs. 

“You’ll be alright here.” Jaehyun reassures. “And your roommate? What is he?” 

“He’s human.” Kun answers. “But he’s okay, there’s no need to worry about him, I assure you.” 

“Oh cool, a human! I never had a human friend before!” The younger dragon states excitingly. 

“You’ll have to excuse Mark. He’s at that age where everything excites him and gets him curious.” Jaehyun laughs. 

“Says you, you spend almost all your money on toys and you’re older than me!” Mark retaliates.

“They’re _ collectors items, _not toys.” Jaehyun grumbles.

“Jae, you’re buying Lego’s, Pokemon, and then your robot model kit things.” Mark huffs. 

“And? They’re collectors items.” Jaehyun puffs a slight bit of smoke from his nostrils. A typical thing dragons do when they’re annoyed while in human form. 

“There’s someone else on this floor, isn’t there?” Yuta asks, quieting the two dragons. 

Kun looks further down the hall, pointing towards a door at the very end of the hallway. “Yes. Johnny lives over there, but he’s rarely seen here. He’s normally in the school building, specifically in the photography class. He normally likes to keep to himself, so he won’t be bothering anyone.” Kun explains. 

“I seen him only a couple times. He’s nice!” Mark states. “Though Kun is right, he mostly likes to be by himself. I think it’s because he’s a thunderbird, they live long so he doesn’t like to get close to anyone with shorter life spans. With the Order hunting us too, he’s even shut out other mythosi from befriending him.” 

Yuta tilts his head. A thunderbird? This school really does house almost everyone, doesn’t it? The thunderbirds were an old rival race to the phoenix’s back in the old days, but recently they have become more friendly towards another. Yuta wonders if this Johnny lived by the old times, or is of the modern ways. Although thunderbirds were not immortal, they could live for a very long time, which makes Yuta wonder how old Johnny could be. The same could be applied to Jaehyun and Mark, though Yuta can tell by the way Mark acts, that this dragon was very young in dragon terms. 

“Beings who cannot accept death as a part of life are, in the end, lost in loneliness.” Jaehyun states randomly. “Ones who cannot comprehend the thought of life coming to an abrupt end become arrogant. Such a lonely way to live, when you shut out potential friendships, or boast about your immortality that, you don’t seem to care about anyone else.” 

The three stare at Jaehyun in silence, to which the dragon merely smiled. It’s like he could read into Yuta’s personality and past with only a glance, which is admittedly intimidating to Yuta. There was no doubt Jaehyun was much older than his human look makes him appear to be, as such sharp observation could not be made by a dragon of a younger age, like Mark. 

“He can be like that sometimes, sorry!” Mark says in an apologetic tone, bowing. “He’ll act silly and stuff, and suddenly get all wise ass on me, it freaks me out sometimes man.” 

“It’s fine…” Yuta says with nervous tone. 

“You are like that, huh?” Jaehyun questions. “You think, or maybe thought, you were untouchable. You didn’t care about anyone else, that’s why you’re here.” Jaehyun grins, which mildly intimidates and pisses off Yuta simultaneously. “But something is changing your mind now, now that you’ve seen just how fragile life can be, even to an immortal being such as yourself.”

Mark groans, lightly punching Jaehyun’s arm, who merely faked a pained cry. “Stop doing that! You’re freaking the two of them out, including me!” Mark sighs, shaking his head. 

“It's quite alright.” Kun laughs. “Yes Jaehyun, he’s here for that reason, but he seems to be opening up a little bit. His human friend seems to be changing his mind slowly but surely.” 

“I find it interesting that he befriended a human. I can’t wait to meet them.” Jaehyun smiles warmly. “Sorry if I freaked you out. Conversation is my weakness, it’s a trap for me really. Conversation and analyzing is my weakness.” He looks over at Mark for a moment. “Why don’t you go help Yuta with dorm stuff? I have to go to my class.” 

Mark nods. “Okay, Jae. See you later.” The younger dragon looks to Yuta with a smile plastered on his face, obviously excited.

Honestly, Yuta didn’t know how to handle someone being so _ excited _over being with him. The phoenix gives a slight pout, looking to Kun with obvious questions, but the other merely grinned and shrugged it off. Jaehyun walks past the three, bag in hand, and nods his head as he went on his way to his class. Yuta wonders why someone like Jaehyun would even bother being at a school, as dragons were pretty wise, though, he has a hunch it may have something to do with Mark. 

“So you dorms over here.” Kun states, grabbing the keys to unlock it. “You’ll be staying here. A bed and basic essentials are already provided, but everything else, you and Taeyong would have to purchase on your own.” 

“Understandable.” Yuta responds. 

“Ohh, maybe when your friend’s feeling better, we can go look for stuff together! Jae wanted to go to the furniture store to buy a more shelves for his legos.” Mark laughs.

“Aw, you four will already be friends, we’re already getting along well here~” Kun laughs.

Yuta grumbles at the teasing, but shakes off his minor annoyance. “I guess it will work out.” He sighs. 

“Heck yeah! We gonna have a lit time!” Mark shouts excitedly, confusing Yuta.

“L-Lit..” Yuta repeats, looking at Kun.

“Iunno, don’t look at me for what slang the younger ones are saying these days.” Kun chuckles. “I’ll leave you to settle in then. I’ll bring Taeyong up once he’s awake.” 

Yuta nods, and watches Kun walk out of the door. His attention now turns to Mark, who smiles up at him. “Uh…” Yuta frowns, “So… what about that guy who lives down the hall?”

Mark shrugs. “His name’s Johnny. He lives alone and doesn’t really talk much. He talks to me sometimes when he feels like it. I don’t think he’s home right now, but he usually hangs out at the photography room like Kun said. Did you want to meet him or something? I’m not sure he’d actually talk to you though…” Mark mumbles quietly.

“No, I was just curious.” Yuta states. “Maybe I’ll run into him eventually.” 

“If you do, and if he talks to you, I promise he’s nice and not mean, so you don’t have to worry about him at all!” Mark reassures. 

“I’m not worried about him, I’m just curious to know who else lives on this floor is all.” Yuta crosses his arms, unsure of what to do now.

Mark seems to pick up on this, and tugs on Yuta’s arm a bit. “Jae’s got a Bintendo Switch, want to play some games until our friends get home?”

Yuta looks at him in confusion. “What is a Bintendo..?”

“I’ll show you! Come on man, I don’t want it to be awkward here, lets at least distract ourselves with a game or two.” Mark insists. 

“Alright alright, if you insist then. Lets go.” Yuta smiles somewhat, following an excited Mark out his dorm, and into the dragon’s to pass time.

* * *

The photography room was quiet as usual, Johnny being the only living thing inside of it, developing pictures as usual. Doyoung makes his way towards the room, side-eyeing Johnny as he made his way towards the dark room, where the rest of his team were waiting. Sicheng, as usual, follows closely behind, glaring at Johnny somewhat. Johnny merely shrugs them off, waving them towards the dark room in order for the two to leave him be.

“Try not to mess up my pictures.” Johnny grumbles. “Or I’ll report your little meetings to Taeil and Kun.”

Doyoung scoffs. “Report it and we’ll make sure to quickly end you.” He threatens, but the other doesn’t seem intimidated in the slightest.

Ignoring the taller being, Doyoung opens the door to the dark room, allowing Sicheng to walk into the room first, then following after. The rest of the team bow their heads, Jaemin and Yukhei’s nervousness apparent. Doyoung shuts the door behind him, and heads over to the groups, where he crosses his arms and eyes each one, especially Yukhei and Jaemin. Hearing about their failure of the mission was something Doyoung was very frustrated about, more or less, due to them hurting Taeyong.

“I’m getting straight to the point here.” Doyoung begins. “You two both failed in securing the phoenix, who is currently handicapped… do you know how embarrassing that is?!” He shouts. “And what's worse?! You hurt a human! One I specifically told you not to harm!” 

“He was attacking us! He didn’t run like others would!” Yukhei states, though his voice is shaky with slight fear. “He even slashed Jaemin in the face!”

“It doesn’t matter. The last thing we need is for normal humans to get involved. I told you for any reason, do not hurt Taeyong, and you disobeyed anyway.” Doyoung narrows his eyes. “Be grateful Kun’s magic repels my guns, otherwise, I’d end you both right here.”

“I feel like that’s too extreme, Master…” Sicheng interrupts.

“Winwin I told you many times to stop calling me Master. You’re not my pet.” Doyoung sighs, holding his head. 

“Come on, Dodo, they slipped up, it happens. Give them another chance~” A member states. 

“Stop calling me Dodo, Hyuck.” Doyoung grumbls.

“Never~” He chuckles. “Anyway… they failed the mission to capture Taeyong’s friend because of Taeil. No one here but you have the guts to face him.” Hyuck explains. “As for Taeyong, he should know risks by hanging out with Mythosi. Why are you so concerned over him?” Hyuck questions.

“You’re very nosy.” Doyoung responds. “I don’t need to tell my reasons why. As for the situation with Taeil, that was an annoyance. He knows full well anyone out of that school is fair game.” Doyoung ponders. “Maybe Kun requested him to do so. They’ve become a large nuisance lately, I think it’s time we discuss ways to do away with them.”

The room falls silent at the suggestion. Although this section of the Mythos Order were strong, they all still feared facing grand creatures, such as phoenix’s, dragons, and kirins. Kun was no problem for them to out maneuver or fight, but with Taeil at his constant side? No one wanted to mess with either. 

“Sir… Taeil could KILL us with no problem.” Yukhei comments. “Jaemin is only alive now because he only fired a warning bolt at us… I don’t want to know how strong his full power lightning bolts will feel like.” 

“He’s also never away from Kun very long.” Jungwoo states. “He’s always nearby, it will be difficult to get rid of them. We would have to come up with a plan to separate the two. If we can lure Taeil away, we can easily gang up on Kun inside the school when he’s making his rounds.” 

Sicheng shifts in place. “Are you sure you want to plan attacks on them…?” He questions Doyoung, frowning somewhat.

“Win, I know Kun is a bit of a friend to you, but you knew not to befriend him since the first task. I’m not changing my mind.” Doyoung pulls out a rolled up parchment from his back, and lays it out on a nearby table. “I have a map of the school from inside sources. Starting from here, we’re going to come up with ideas to ambush one of them, or both. Whenever we execute these missions, I want no failure.” Doyoung commands.

“Yes sir!” The rest respond.

“This time, we will finally get rid of our threats…” Doyoung narrows his eyes, grinning sadistically.


	7. Wake Up, Yongie!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taeyong finally wakes up and finds out the truth about the school and it's students! How will he react?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Sorry for my sluggish updates, I lacked some motivation for a little bit, but got it back! Apologies since this chapter is mostly filler ( but still somewhat important ), but I hope you still enjoy it! Please stay safe during this crazy time, and have a good day!

An hour has passed since Kun left the dorms, heaving a sigh as he busied himself with a book. Taeyong was still unconscious beside him, though he had begun to move around here and there. The college’s infirmary room remained quiet, maybe even a bit too quiet for Kun’s comfort. A light groan and shuffling from Taeyong captured Kun’s attention, the younger setting his book aside to look over the older male. Kun reached his hand over to Taeyong’s arm, about to gently nudge him for any sort of response, however, a creek from the door stopped him from doing so. A woman stood at the door frame, bowing her head to apologize for any disturbance she may have caused. 

“Kun, a student named Winwin wants to see you. Do I let him in?” She questioned, unsure if she should let this confirmed Mythos Order member into the room.

Kun was puzzled. Sicheng didn’t have a reason to be here at this time. Kun is hesitant to allow him inside at first, but he figured it may have been important. Sicheng may have his allegiance with the order, but that did not erase the fact that the two were well acquainted with each other. He nodded to her, flashing a smile. “Let him inside… but only if he’s alone.”

“He is. No one seems to be with him right now.” She reassured, which made Kun relieved. He didn’t know if he had the patience to deal with Doyoung or Jungwoo at the moment. But then again… Sicheng without Doyoung was rare, so Kun was curious as to what was so important that Sicheng had seeked his company without Doyoung by his side.

“How odd…” Kun thought aloud, pondering over this surprise visit from Sicheng. His attention is brought back to the awaiting nurse. “Well, since he’s alone, let him inside then.” 

“Are you sure that’s wise..? Leaving him here with you when you’re by yourself?” She asked, voice full of concern. Kun could only chuckle in response.

“Of course. I know how to fend for myself.” Kun reassured. “Let him in, Winwin wont hurt me. Trust me on that.” 

The nurse nodded, stepping out of the door momentarily. Kun overheard her talking to Sicheng in the small office room, directing the dragon toward Taeyong’s room. Normally, Kun wouldn’t have allowed anyone from the Order to be near him, not when Tael was absent. Sicheng, however, was an exception.The dragon was, afterall, very different from the rest of the Order. Sicheng was usually quiet, kind, and seemed like the most logical and empathetic one of the group. Something that most likely gave him trouble with his fellow allies. Needless to say, Kun trusted the dragon enough to be alone with him, even if Taeil wouldn’t exactly be happy about this once he learned of it.

The creaking door announced Sicheng’s arrival into the room, the dragon bowing his head submissively. He carefully shut the door behind him, softly enough as not to possibly startle Taeyong awake. Kun smiled at him, directing his hand to an empty chair in the corner. Sicheng gave a small nod in response, quickly claiming the chair. The two sit in silence for a while, both seemingly keeping their attention on Taeyong’s subtle movements. Finally, Kun decided it was time to break the silence.

“Winwin… why exactly did you come to see me? Is something wrong?” Kun asked curiously, though his voice was full of concern. He could tell Sicheng was troubled about something, a tell-tell sign being Sicheng’s quietness and lack of eye contact.

“Well…” The dragon began, biting his bottom lip from obvious hesitation. “It’s my master…” Sicheng breathed out, glancing towards Kun’s direction.

“What about him?” Kun questioned, “Did something happen to Doyoung?”

Sicheng shook his head, even raising his arms up as he flailed his hands.. “N-no no..! Nothing happened to him, but he’s planning to hurt you and Taeil. I just came to give you a warning. No one knows that I’m here, they think I’m out scouting for Taeil.” He explained quietly, looking down in shame. 

Kun sighed. Go figure. “It was only a matter of time before he finally got brave enough to attempt something.” Kun forced a chuckle, “Well… I appreciate the warning Winwin, but you don’t need to worry about me. Taeil and Me are capable of handling Doyoung, along with the rest of your group.” Kun stated. “I’m trained to fight too, you know.”

Sicheng frowned at Kun. “That’s the thing, Kun, they want to separate you two. Master thinks you’re far more vulnerable alone without Taeil. I’d advise you don’t venture off alone anywhere. I’d hate for you to be killed by them, I don’t know if I'd like for a good friend of mine to end up that way. I don’t want you to become a sacrifice for this sensely Order..…” Sicheng looked sorrowful at the thought, quickly looking down at his feet once more.

Kun smiled somewhat in response, shaking his head as he gave another light chuckle. “Winwin, you’re too good for that organization. Have you ever thought about leaving it? You know I’d give you a home here. You need not to serve anyone here, or live with the Kim’s. You won’t be treated as a lesser, more so, as a dog. The life you have with Doyoung’s family is not one you deserve. You can just come with me after Taeyong wakes up.” Kun offered, but Sicheng shook his head, rejecting him. Kun had a feeling he would, so he wasn’t surprised. After all, Sicheng was extremely loyal to Doyoung.

“As nice as that sounds… Master need’s me with him. I’m like his little cricket thing that Wisney puppet character has.” Sicheng laughed, a small smile apparent on his face. 

“You mean like his Wiminy Cricket?” Kun asked, also smiling back towards Sicheng.

Sicheng nodded. “Indeed. His family is very hard on him. He may not seem like it, but he is the most ethical of the Kim family. He doesn’t always agree to what the Golden One orders, but alas, just like everyone else serving his Goldness, he is too scared to defy him. I’m also his only friend at home, even if the other dragons and the rest of the Kim’s treat me poorly, I merely remain for him.” Sicheng gave a light hearted smile as he explained, which earned a sigh from Kun. However, the older male nodded in understanding. Kun knew Sicheng would be hard to convince to defy the Gold One.

“If you say so, Winwin. Please be careful too, who knows what trouble you’d be in if anyone sees you talking to me.” Kun warned.

Sicheng nodded to his suggestion, quickly getting on his feet. The dragon gave another bow toward the Mage, then turned his attention back to the sleeping Taeyong. “I wish him a quick recovery. Master ordered for Yukhei and Jaemin not to hurt him. He was very upset with them not following that order.” 

“Don’t worry.” Kun reassured the dragon, “He’s expected to wake up soon.”

“That’s good. I will let my Master know…” Sicheng commented, making his way towards the door.

“Oh? Doyoung was concerned?” Kun tilted his head as he asked. He was curious why Doyoung ordered such a thing to begin with.

Sicheng nodded to Kun’s question, his hand resting on the doorknob. “Master and this human here used to have a relationship. When my Master was sworn under oath for the Golden One, he ended it for this man’s safety.” Sicheng paused for a moment, wondering if this was too private to share. In the end, he decided to explain further. “He didn’t go about it very well. I believe he said some very hurtful things to this man here, so they got off the wrong foot when they parted ways. I don’t think they’ve spoken since Taeyong brought Yuta to this campus.” 

“I see…” Kun mumbled quietly, looking back to Taeyong. “I suppose he still has feelings for him, if he’s that concerned?”

“I believe so.” Sicheng replied. “I should be going now. Please be careful, Kun.” 

“I will. Don’t worry, Winwin.” Kun reassured once more, watching as the dragon finally exited the room. He let out another sigh, furrowing his brows from this unsettling warning. His attention turned back to Taeyong afterwards, his grumbling and shifting position having Kun’s complete attention on him. The younger male is relieved to see Taeyong finally open his eyes, though he could see that the other was very confused about his surroundings.

“Where am I…? What the hell happened…?” He muttered groggily, shutting his eyes once more from the light stinging them.

“You’re in the campus infirmary. As for what happened… Well there’s no point in sugarcoating the truth. I know Yuta has been afraid to tell you, but I believe it’s time you know what's going on here, otherwise your ignorance may end up causing your death if you’re not careful.” Kun stated, tone serious.

“What are you talking about..?” Taeyong questioned, opening his eyes once more to look towards Kun.

“Do you remember anything from last night?” Kun responds with another question. 

Taeyong was slightly annoyed with Kun’s question, but shrugs it off, furrowing his brows as he began to recall the previous night's events. He remembered an abnormally large dog, and what looked to be a creature he saw in a mythology book of sorts. Taeyong also remembered Taeil being there, angry and accompanied by a bolt of lightning, despite there being no rain. Was he imagining this? Did he get plastered to the wall so hard that he’s just hallucinating the events? His furrowed brows gave away his confusion.

“By your silence, I’m guessing you do. You look even more confused as well.” Kun stated, startling Taeyong out of his thoughts. 

“Kun… I don’t know if you’ll even believe me if I told you what I remember. It all seems crazy to me...” Taeyong mumbled, frustrated with all this.

“Try me. You’d be surprised, Taeyong.” Kun chuckled in response. 

Taeyong gave a sigh, bringing his hand up to his forehead. He could already feel a headache coming. “It was a really big black dog… and the other one looked like something I saw out of my mythology books. It had horns, really big teeth.. I just can’t recall what the name was.” Taeyong grumbled, pulling the sheets over his face since this sounded so absurd and crazy to his own ears. “They were attacking Yuta for some reason. I remember trying to help but one of them knocked me into the wall really hard… afterwards Taeil showed up and a bolt of lightning hit one of the animals.” Taeyong continued, voice quiet and muffled somewhat from the sheets.

Kun crossed his arms, bringing his hand up to his chin. “My, that would sound pretty crazy if you were explaining this to someone else.” Kun laughed, “But me? I believe this, because Taeil reported it to me.” he ended his statement so casually, Taeyong couldn’t help but pull the sheets down to raise a very questionable brow to him. Taeyong is confused by Kun seeming casual and passive about this. Did he not think he was crazy? Was Kun just playing around with him? Going along with whatever fiasco that his foggy mind has possibly conjured up while he was asleep? Taeyong didn’t know. 

Pouting, he could only turn his head toward Kun’s direction once more, since he wanted to know why he was so casual about hearing all this. “Reported it to you?” Yong asked. 

“Indeed.” Kun gestured to the window for Taeyong to look outside. “Taeyong, there are things in this academy you don’t know much about. It would have been preferable that you didn’t know, but since you’re involved with Yuta… well it seems we’ve no choice but to tell you about what this school's true mission is.” Kun paused, thinking carefully on how to deliver this to a ‘skeptic’ such as Taeyong. 

“True mission? What do you mean by that?” Taeyong questioned with a hint of frustration in his voice. 

“The creatures you hear of in mythology and folklore tales… they are true. What you saw yesterday were two grunts from the Mythos Order, who, for some reason, is after Yuta. Their names are Yukhei and Jaemin. Yukhei was the black dog, a Tiangou to be more correct. As for the other creature, Jaemin, he is what is known locally as a Haetae.” Kun explained, taking note of Taeyong’s even more confused expression. He ignored it for now. “Taeil is a Kirin. He and I are the main guardians of this acade,u, aiming to protect the Mythosi people from the Order as best as we can. As for Yuta… he is a Phoenix banished from his home in the skies. The Order seems to want him. My guess is their leader, known as the Golden One, came from the same place as Yuta. It’s possible he either wants to recruit or kill him, depending on what Yuta chooses…” Kun muttered to himself.

Taeyong frowned. He was still uncertain if Kun was just going along with his foggy description as some cruel joke, or if he was actually serious. Kun seemed to have picked up on this, as he walked toward Taeyong and placed a hand on his shoulder. Taeyong looked up at him momentarily, but the other moved his gaze toward his free hand, which Taeyong turned his attention to.

“I know this is hard to explain, but maybe if I showed you…” Kun spoke, forming a small ball of light in his hands “Maybe you’ll finally let it sink in that these are not from your imagination.” Kun smiled, examining Taeyong’s shocked expression. “Do you finally believe in magic and fairy tales, Taeyong?” Kun questioned, a smug grin on his face. “You see, I’m a mage, whose abilities were gifted upon me years ago by a dragon. I am tasked to keep a protective forcefield over this school. As long as I am here, no one can hurt you, Yuta, or anyone else.” Kun explains. “Though… we do have Mythos Order students here, and I was recently warned they may plan something to get me or Taeil out of the way. I can’t stay in one place for long if that is the case. Since you’re awake, I will take you to your dorm, I’m sure Yuta is waiting for you.” Kun said with a smile. “Are you okay to walk? You can lean on me.”

Taeyong wasn’t too dizzy when he had managed to sit up, though standing was a bit of a different story. The moment he got onto his feet, the whole room began to spin, nearly losing his footing. Lucky for him, Kun had quickly reflexed, and grabbed onto him before he stumbled back into the bed. 

“Easy now, just lean on me, I’ll help you back to where you need to go.” Kun offered, Taeyong thanking him afterwards.

The trip to the dorms did take a while, and Kun had noticed a particular figure keeping an eye on them. He’d have to be cautious when he leaves the dorms later. He quickly helps Taeyong inside, making way towards an elevator that was open. Once the doors closed, Kun punched in the necessary numbers, and within seconds, they were taken to the very top floor of the dorms. The elevator opened to quiet, empty hallways as usual, though faint laughing from Mark could be heard from his room. Kun figured he and Yuta were enjoying themselves with whatever they were playing.

“Is Yuta already up here..?” Taeyong questioned. 

“Yes, he’s with your neighbor in his dorm. You have three neighbors. They can introduce themselves to you later on.” Kun smiled. “Though… I doubt Johnny would actually speak to you. In that case…” Kun motioned towards a door at the very end of the hallway. “That is Johnny’s dorm. He lives by himself and is hardly ever in there. You will mostly find him in the photography clubs classroom.” 

“Is he a mythical being too?” Taeyong asked with a hint of curiosity.

“He is. He’s what’s known as a Thunderbird.” Kun replied.

“Ah… I have read about those birds before…” Taeyong laughed. 

“Mythology books have some accuracy to them after all, huh?” Kun laughed.

“It seems they do.” Taeyong smiled slightly in response.

The two make it to Yuta & Taeyong’s dorm, Kun swiftly unlocking the door to help Taeyong inside. Kun makes his way toward an empty room, helping Yong to get onto his bed comfortably. The two sigh afterwards. It was a little more work helping a sluggish Taeyong to his dorm. 

“I suppose I should go fetch Yuta.” Kun commented to himself. “He was worried about you, afterall.”

“That’s somewhat surprising.” Taeyong laughed. “But yeah, I guess you should let him know I’m awake.”

“I will be right back with them.” Kun stated, leaving the room soon after.

Taeyong is left to think about everything Kun has told him, along with the previous night’s events. He always had a hunch that the Mythology books he read when he was younger had some truth to them. As he grew older, however, he began to think like everyone else: they were just tall tales and old myths. Now that he’s faced with them being a reality, he wasn’t quite sure on how to react to it all. Half of him felt excited to know this was indeed real, that creatures like dragons, phoenix’s, and many others were in fact, living, breathing creatures. On the other hand, he felt overwhelmed by such information, especially knowing the current danger he was suddenly in. He now has more questions to ask, like why this Golden One wanted Yuta. Yong then remembers Doyoung’s sudden interest back when they ran into each other in the hallway. Was he too, in this Mythos Order Kun spoke about? His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the door swing open, revealing a typically annoyed, yet concerned, Yuta at the doorway.

“Yuta can’t you open the door with a little less force? He could have been sleeping, he’s still sluggish.” Kun grumbled.

“And? He had me worried since last night. He can sleep later, he slept enough!” The phoenix replied with a sassy tone.

“Oh, Yuta-Hyung! Is this that Taeyong you talked about?” A stranger called, poking his head between the door frame and Yuta’s side.

Yuta merely nodded to his question, moving himself away from the door to look over Taeyong for any other injuries he could have. “You’re okay?” He asked, a hint of concern in his voice. 

“I’m okay… just groggy and dizzy. I’ll be back to normal in a bit.” Taeyong reassured, though this only earned him a scoff from Yuta. Taeyong was already used to Yuta doing this at this point, it would be shocking if Yuta didn’t scoff for once.

“You humans-- I mean, you’re so frail.” He grumbled. “I feel like if I tried hard enough, I could snap you in two.” 

Taeyong raised a brow. “Doubtful. Also you can stop trying to hide that you refer to me as human and what not… Kun explained everything…” 

Yuta’s demeanor changed completely. The phoenix’s scolding expression turned into one of worry and fear, his eyes giving away every sort of fearful emotion running through his mind. “Y-you know what I am then..?” 

Yuta’s voice was so shaky with fear. Taeyong didn’t understand why he was so afraid, but he knew he’d better calm Yuta down before he gave himself a panic attack. “I do… but don’t be so scared about me knowing about that. Why are you so worried? Do you think I’ll just leave you or something?” Taeyong questioned. 

Yuta seemed annoyed. Taeyong has read him like an open book too many times now. Taeyong could see that he was tired of it, but this only caused him to laugh. Yuta shifted in place for a moment, before he finally answered Taeyong’s question. “Yes…” Yuta replied, looking down at his feet. “I know it’s only been a couple of days, but you’re the only friend I have in this world, I suppose. Where I come from, everything is done differently… I was scared you would either leave me in this unfamiliar place, or turn me over to the Order.” Yuta explains. 

Taeyong pouted somewhat. “You really think I’d be that cruel to do that? Sure, I’m very overwhelmed learning what everyone is in this school, but I wouldn’t just leave you like that because you’re different. So what if you aren’t human?” Taeyong smiled up at the Phoenix, who seemed to look much more relieved, and act more like himself. 

Yuta gave out a huff, turning his head away. “I knew it was silly of me to be afraid of what a human thinks of me. In fact, I was right to think they would be happy to bask in my grac-”

“Yuta-Hyung was so scared you’d ditch him that he started crying. He even asked me to make room for him in our dorm if you kicked him out.” The younger male stated, grinning mischievously.

“MARK….” Yuta shouted, his face red in both embarrassment and anger. 

Mark could only grin, despite him using Kun as his line of defence to keep the Phoenix from harming him. “I’m only telling it like it is, bro!” Mark stated, “You gotta let out your feelings bro, there's no use in hiding them. Jaehyun always says that if you keep holding in your emotions, you’re going to end up exploding into tiny angry bits of yourself that annoys everyone else!” 

Kun raised a brow from this ‘saying’ Mark just repeated. “Your brother has a funny way of explaining things.” Kun sighed, shaking his head. “How very Jaehyun of him.”

“Yeah I know… he’s weird.” Mark laughed. “Anyway, hello Taeyong-hyung. Yuta talked to me about you while we played video games.” He made his way towards Taeyong, leaving the safety of Kun’s back, and ignoring the Phoenix on his way over to the bed-ridden human. “My name is Mark! And my brother is named Jaehyun. We live right across from you.” Mark paused, tapping a finger on his chin. “Oh yeah..! We’re also dragons! But don’t worry, we’re not like those mean ones in those books you read.” He said with pride. “We like interacting with people and really enjoy observing and learning new things from everyone around us. You’re all pretty interesting. I’m glad Jaehyun convinced me to move here with him.” 

“Mark slow down, he’s already overwhelmed with all this info.” Kun laughed.

“No no, it’s okay!” Taeyong reassured, giving Mark a smile in return. “It’s nice to meet you too, Mark. Glad to know someone brings out a laid back and surprisingly crybaby side of Yuta.” Yong jokes, Yuta scoffing in response. 

“I’m no crybaby! I was just concerned.” The phoenix grumbled, embarrassed. 

Mark and Taeyong both laughed, though they quieted down once Kun’s phone began to ring. Kun’s smile also seemed to have faded, now replaced with a stern look once he saw the contact. “Sorry guys, I will have to step out now, but I’ll be back to check on you all tonight.” Kun stated as he headed out the door. 

Mark frowned somewhat, feeling slightly uneased with Kun’s sudden change in demeanor. “Um… Do you mind if I stay with you two? Just until my brother gets back… I don’t want to be alone in that dorm.” Mark mumbles under his breath.

“Well I don’t see why not.” Taeyong smiled, “I’m still feeling a bit dizzy though, so I don’t think I can entertain you as much as Yuta at the moment.” 

“Are you going to sleep? You slept enough already!” Yuta complained.

“No, hot feathers, I’m not going to sleep. I’m just going to relax and wait for this dizzy spell to pass.” Taeyong replied. 

“Oh he’s sassy.” Mark laughed, playfully pushing Yuta’s shoulder. 

“Ugh. Now you’re going to make comments about my beautiful feathers? I knew you were infatuated with me, we phoenix’s are just too good to pass up it seems.” Yuta raised his head with pride, crossing his arms proudly as if he achieved a golden medal for being absolutely full of himself.

“I think I preferred when you were worried over me.” Taeyong sighed. 

“Hmph, well, if you’re still sluggish over a bump on the head I suppose I’ll let you be so you can sleep some more. I will entertain the overgrown snake here with more Bario Kart.” Yuta grinned.

“Hey! I’m no snake!” Mark protested. 

Taeyong watched as the two bickered their way out of the room, Yuta gently shutting the door as he exited. Taeyong gave a long sigh afterwards, making himself comfortable on his newly claimed bed. He still felt overwhelmed and confused about whatever was going on, but would get used to it in the long run. Eventually, he found himself thinking about Doyoung. Was he involved in anything regarding the previous night? Was he trying to hurt Yuta as well? Another sigh, as he realizes his answers won't be answered until something plays out in front of him. Yong finally cleared his mind after deciding it was best to rest, and think about all of this later.


	9. Hiatus anouncement

Hello everyone!

With the recent things going on and added stress that comes with it, I've had no motive to write this for the moment. I plan to come back to it later though. I will continue this once I don't feel so overwhelmed by everything :/ 

To those who still read, I hope you'll stick around. I Dont intend to give up on this fiasco. 

Until then, stay safe everyone!

Edit 6/27/2020: Hello to anyone who may come across this for any sort of update! First off, i hope everyone is doing well! I planned to write chapter 9 for you all this month, but family issues have come up and caused some complications for that. I will be updating this fic after the 4th of July weekend! I hope you all will stick with me! Until the awaited updated, stay safe, and stay healthy! 

**Author's Note:**

> Will try to update Monthly!


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